1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- -*- coding: iso-latin-1 -*-
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
14 @setchapternewpage odd
18 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
19 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
20 \usepackage{pagestyle}
28 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
29 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
31 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
33 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
34 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
36 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
37 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
39 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}}
40 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
41 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}''}
42 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
43 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
44 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
45 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
46 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
47 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
49 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
50 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
51 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
52 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
53 \newcommand{\gnusresult}[1]{\gnustt{=> #1}}
55 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
56 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
57 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
58 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
59 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
60 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
61 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
62 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
63 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
64 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
65 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
66 \newcommand{\gnusbraceleft}{{$>$}}
67 \newcommand{\gnusbraceright}{{$>$}}
69 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head.eps,height=1cm}}}
70 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
71 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
74 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
76 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
83 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
85 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
87 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
88 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
91 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
92 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
93 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
98 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
100 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
107 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
108 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1cm}}}
111 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
112 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
115 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
116 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
119 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
120 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
123 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
125 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
126 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
130 \newenvironment{codelist}%
135 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
141 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
146 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
151 \newenvironment{samplist}%
156 \newenvironment{varlist}%
161 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
166 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
167 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
168 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
170 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
175 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
179 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
188 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
190 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
195 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
200 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
204 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
212 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
214 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
224 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
228 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
236 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
238 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
243 \pagenumbering{roman}
244 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
254 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
255 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
257 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
259 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\\
262 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=15cm}
265 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
272 \thispagestyle{empty}
274 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
276 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
277 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
278 are preserved on all copies.
280 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
281 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
282 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
283 permission notice identical to this one.
285 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
286 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
295 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
297 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
299 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
300 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
301 are preserved on all copies.
304 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
305 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
306 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
307 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
310 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
311 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
312 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
313 permission notice identical to this one.
315 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
316 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
324 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
327 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
328 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
330 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
331 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
332 are preserved on all copies.
334 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
335 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
336 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
337 permission notice identical to this one.
339 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
340 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
349 @top The Gnus Newsreader
353 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
354 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
355 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
358 This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.8.7.
369 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
370 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
372 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
373 being accused of plagiarism:
375 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
376 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
377 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
378 can even read news with it!
380 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
381 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
382 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
383 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
384 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
390 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
391 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
392 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
393 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
394 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
395 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
396 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
397 * Various:: General purpose settings.
398 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
399 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
400 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
401 * Key Index:: Key Index.
404 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
408 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
409 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
410 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
411 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
412 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
413 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
414 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
415 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
416 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
417 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
418 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
422 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
423 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
424 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
428 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
429 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
430 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
431 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
432 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
433 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
434 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
435 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
436 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
437 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
438 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
439 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
440 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
441 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
442 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
443 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
444 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
448 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
449 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
450 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
454 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
455 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
456 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
457 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
458 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
462 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
463 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
464 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
465 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
469 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
470 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
471 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
472 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
473 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
474 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
475 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
476 * Threading:: How threads are made.
477 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
478 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
479 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
480 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
481 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
482 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
483 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
484 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
485 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
486 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
487 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
488 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
489 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
490 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
491 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
492 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
493 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
494 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
495 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
496 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
498 Summary Buffer Format
500 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
501 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
502 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
503 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
507 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
508 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
510 Reply, Followup and Post
512 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
513 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
514 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
515 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
519 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
520 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
521 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
525 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
526 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
527 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
531 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
532 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
534 Customizing Threading
536 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
537 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
538 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
539 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
543 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
544 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
545 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
546 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
547 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
548 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
552 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
553 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
554 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
558 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
559 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
560 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
561 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
562 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
563 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
564 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
565 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
567 Alternative Approaches
569 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
570 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
572 Various Summary Stuff
574 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
575 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
576 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
577 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
581 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
582 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
583 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
584 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
585 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
589 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
590 * Post:: Posting and following up.
591 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
592 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
593 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
594 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
595 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
596 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
600 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
601 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
602 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
603 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
604 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
605 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
606 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
610 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
611 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
612 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
613 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
614 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
615 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
616 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
620 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
621 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
625 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
626 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
627 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
628 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
629 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
630 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
631 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
632 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
633 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
634 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
635 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
636 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
637 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
641 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
642 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
643 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
645 Choosing a Mail Backend
647 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
648 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
649 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
650 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
651 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
652 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
656 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
657 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
658 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
659 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
663 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
664 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
665 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
666 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
667 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
668 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
672 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
676 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
677 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
678 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
682 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
683 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
684 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
688 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
689 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
693 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
694 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
695 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
696 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
697 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
698 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
699 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
700 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
701 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
705 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
706 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
707 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
711 * Group Agent Commands::
712 * Summary Agent Commands::
713 * Server Agent Commands::
717 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
718 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
719 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
720 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
721 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
722 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
723 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
724 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
725 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
726 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
727 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
728 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
729 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
730 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
731 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
732 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
736 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
737 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
738 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
739 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
743 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
744 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
745 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
749 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
750 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
751 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
752 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
753 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
754 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
755 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
756 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
757 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
758 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
759 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
760 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
761 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
762 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
763 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
764 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
765 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
766 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
770 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
771 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
772 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
773 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
774 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
778 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
779 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
780 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
781 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
785 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
786 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
787 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
788 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
789 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
793 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
794 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
795 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
796 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
797 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
798 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
799 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
800 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
804 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
805 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
806 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
807 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
808 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
809 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
810 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
811 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
812 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
813 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
817 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
818 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
819 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
820 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
824 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
825 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
826 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
827 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
831 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
832 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
833 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
834 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
835 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
836 * Group Info:: The group info format.
837 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
838 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
839 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
843 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
844 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
845 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
846 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
847 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
848 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
852 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
853 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
857 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
858 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
864 @chapter Starting Gnus
869 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
870 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
873 @findex gnus-other-frame
874 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
875 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
876 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
878 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
879 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
880 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
882 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
883 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
886 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
887 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
888 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
889 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
890 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
891 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
892 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
893 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
894 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
895 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
896 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
900 @node Finding the News
901 @section Finding the News
904 @vindex gnus-select-method
906 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
907 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
908 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
909 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
912 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
913 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
916 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
919 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
922 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
925 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
926 certainly be much faster.
928 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
930 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
931 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
932 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
933 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
934 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
935 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
937 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
938 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
939 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
940 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
942 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
943 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
944 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
945 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
946 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
947 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
948 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
949 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
950 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
953 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
955 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
956 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
957 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
958 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
959 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
960 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
962 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
964 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
965 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
966 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
967 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
968 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
969 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
972 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
973 would typically set this variable to
976 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
981 @section The First Time
982 @cindex first time usage
984 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
985 be subscribed by default.
987 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
988 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
989 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
990 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
993 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
994 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
995 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
997 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
998 help you with most common problems.
1000 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1001 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1005 @node The Server is Down
1006 @section The Server is Down
1007 @cindex server errors
1009 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1010 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1011 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1013 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1014 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1015 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1016 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1017 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1018 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1019 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1021 @findex gnus-no-server
1022 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1024 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1025 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1026 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1027 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1028 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1029 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1034 @section Slave Gnusae
1037 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1038 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1039 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1040 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1042 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1043 @code{.newsrc} file.
1045 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1046 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1047 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1048 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1049 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1050 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1051 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1053 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1054 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1055 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1056 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1057 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1058 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1059 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1060 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1062 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1063 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1066 @node Fetching a Group
1067 @section Fetching a Group
1068 @cindex fetching a group
1070 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1071 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1072 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1073 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1074 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1075 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1081 @cindex subscription
1083 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1084 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1085 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1086 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1087 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1088 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1089 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1090 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1091 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1094 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1095 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1096 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1100 @node Checking New Groups
1101 @subsection Checking New Groups
1103 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1104 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1105 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1106 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1107 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1108 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1109 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1110 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1111 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1112 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1114 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1115 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1116 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1117 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1118 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1119 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1120 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1121 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1122 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1123 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1124 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1126 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1127 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1128 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1129 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1130 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1131 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1134 @node Subscription Methods
1135 @subsection Subscription Methods
1137 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1138 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1139 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1141 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1142 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1144 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1148 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1149 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1150 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1151 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1152 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1154 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1155 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1156 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1157 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1159 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1160 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1161 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1163 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1164 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1165 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1166 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1167 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1168 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1169 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1170 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1171 up. Or something like that.
1173 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1174 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1175 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1176 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1177 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1179 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1180 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1181 Kill all new groups.
1183 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1184 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1185 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1186 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1187 topic parameter that looks like
1193 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1196 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1201 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1202 A closely related variable is
1203 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1204 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1205 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1206 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1209 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1210 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1211 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1212 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1215 @node Filtering New Groups
1216 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1218 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1219 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1220 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1223 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1227 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1228 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1229 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1230 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1231 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1232 subscribing these groups.
1233 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1234 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1236 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1237 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1238 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1239 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1240 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1241 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1242 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1243 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1245 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1246 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1247 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1248 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1249 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1250 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1251 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1252 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1253 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1254 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1256 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1257 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1260 @node Changing Servers
1261 @section Changing Servers
1262 @cindex changing servers
1264 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1265 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1266 very flaky and you want to use another.
1268 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1269 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1273 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1274 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1275 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1276 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1279 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1280 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1281 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1282 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1284 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1285 @findex gnus-change-server
1286 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1287 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1288 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1289 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1290 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1292 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1293 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1294 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1295 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1296 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1298 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1299 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1300 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1301 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1302 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1303 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1305 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1306 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1307 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1311 @section Startup Files
1312 @cindex startup files
1317 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1318 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1320 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1321 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1322 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1323 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1324 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1325 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1326 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1328 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1329 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1330 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1331 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1332 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1333 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1335 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1336 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1337 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1338 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1339 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1340 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1341 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1342 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1343 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1344 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1346 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1347 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1348 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1349 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1350 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1351 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1352 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1353 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1354 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1355 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1356 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1357 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1359 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1360 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1361 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1362 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1364 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1365 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1366 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1367 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1368 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1369 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1370 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1371 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1372 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1373 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1376 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1377 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1379 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1380 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1383 @vindex gnus-init-file
1384 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1385 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1386 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1387 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1388 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1389 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1390 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1391 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1392 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1398 @cindex dribble file
1401 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1402 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1403 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1404 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1405 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1408 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1409 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1412 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1413 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1414 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1416 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1417 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1418 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1419 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1420 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1421 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1423 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1424 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1425 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1428 @node The Active File
1429 @section The Active File
1431 @cindex ignored groups
1433 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1434 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1435 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1437 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1438 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1439 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1440 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1441 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1442 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1443 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1446 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1447 @c if you set it to anything else.
1449 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1451 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1452 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1453 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1455 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1456 you actually subscribe to.
1458 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1459 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1460 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1461 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1463 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1464 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1465 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1466 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1467 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1468 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1470 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1471 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1472 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1474 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1475 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1476 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1477 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1478 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1479 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1481 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1482 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1484 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1485 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1487 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1488 secondary select methods.
1491 @node Startup Variables
1492 @section Startup Variables
1496 @item gnus-load-hook
1497 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1498 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1499 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1500 times you start Gnus.
1502 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1503 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1504 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1506 @item gnus-startup-hook
1507 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1508 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1510 @item gnus-started-hook
1511 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1512 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1515 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1516 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1517 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1518 generating the group buffer.
1520 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1521 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1522 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1523 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1524 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1525 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1526 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1527 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1529 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1530 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1531 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1532 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1533 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1534 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1536 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1537 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1538 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1540 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1541 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1542 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1544 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1545 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1546 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1547 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1552 @node The Group Buffer
1553 @chapter The Group Buffer
1554 @cindex group buffer
1556 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1557 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1558 long as Gnus is active.
1562 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1563 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1564 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1565 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1566 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1567 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1568 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1569 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1575 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1576 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1577 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1578 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1579 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1580 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1581 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1582 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1583 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1584 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1585 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1586 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1587 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1588 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1589 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1590 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1591 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1595 @node Group Buffer Format
1596 @section Group Buffer Format
1599 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1600 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1601 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1605 @node Group Line Specification
1606 @subsection Group Line Specification
1607 @cindex group buffer format
1609 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1610 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1612 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1615 25: news.announce.newusers
1616 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1621 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1622 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1623 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1624 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1626 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1627 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1628 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1629 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1630 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1631 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1633 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1635 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1636 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1637 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1638 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1641 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1642 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1643 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1645 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1650 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1653 Whether the group is subscribed.
1656 Level of subscribedness.
1659 Number of unread articles.
1662 Number of dormant articles.
1665 Number of ticked articles.
1668 Number of read articles.
1671 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1672 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1675 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1678 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1687 Newsgroup description.
1690 @samp{m} if moderated.
1693 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1702 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1706 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1709 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1710 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1711 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1712 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1713 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1716 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1718 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1722 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1726 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1727 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1728 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1729 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1730 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1731 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1736 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1737 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1738 group, or a bogus native group.
1741 @node Group Modeline Specification
1742 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1743 @cindex group modeline
1745 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1746 The mode line can be changed by setting
1747 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1748 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1752 The native news server.
1754 The native select method.
1758 @node Group Highlighting
1759 @subsection Group Highlighting
1760 @cindex highlighting
1761 @cindex group highlighting
1763 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1764 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1765 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1766 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1767 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1769 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1773 (cond (window-system
1774 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1775 (defface my-group-face-1
1776 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1777 (defface my-group-face-2
1778 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1779 (defface my-group-face-3
1780 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1781 (defface my-group-face-4
1782 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1783 (defface my-group-face-5
1784 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1786 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1787 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1788 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1789 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1790 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1791 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1794 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1796 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1803 The number of unread articles in the group.
1807 Whether the group is a mail group.
1809 The level of the group.
1811 The score of the group.
1813 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1815 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1816 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1818 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1819 topic being inserted.
1822 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1823 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1824 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1826 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1827 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1828 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1829 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1830 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1833 @node Group Maneuvering
1834 @section Group Maneuvering
1835 @cindex group movement
1837 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1838 expected, hopefully.
1844 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1845 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1846 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1852 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1853 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1854 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1858 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1859 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1863 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1864 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1868 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1869 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1870 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1874 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1875 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1876 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1879 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1885 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1886 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1887 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1892 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1893 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1894 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1898 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1899 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1900 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1903 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1904 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1905 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1906 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1910 @node Selecting a Group
1911 @section Selecting a Group
1912 @cindex group selection
1917 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1918 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1919 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1920 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1921 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1922 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1923 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1924 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1925 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1926 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1930 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1931 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1932 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1933 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1934 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1938 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1939 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1940 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1941 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1942 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1943 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1944 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1945 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1946 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1947 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1950 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1951 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1952 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1953 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1954 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1957 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1958 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1959 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1960 doing any processing of its contents
1961 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1962 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1963 manner will have no permanent effects.
1967 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1968 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1969 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1970 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1971 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1972 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1973 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1974 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1977 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1978 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1979 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1980 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1985 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1986 full summary buffer.
1989 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1992 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1997 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1998 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1999 Useful functions include:
2002 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2003 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2004 don't select the article.
2006 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2007 Select the first unread article.
2009 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2010 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2014 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2015 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2016 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2020 @node Subscription Commands
2021 @section Subscription Commands
2022 @cindex subscription
2030 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2031 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2032 Toggle subscription to the current group
2033 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2039 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2040 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2041 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2042 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2048 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2049 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2050 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2056 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2057 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2060 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2061 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2062 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2063 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2064 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2070 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2071 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2075 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2076 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2079 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2080 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2081 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2082 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2083 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2084 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2085 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2086 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2087 @file{.newsrc} file.
2091 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2101 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2102 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2103 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2104 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2105 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2106 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2111 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2112 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2113 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2117 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2118 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2119 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2121 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2122 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2123 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2124 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2125 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2126 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2133 @section Group Levels
2137 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2138 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2139 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2140 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2141 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2143 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2149 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2150 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2151 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2152 prompted for a level.
2155 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2156 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2157 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2158 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2159 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2160 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2161 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2162 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2163 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2164 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2165 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2166 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2167 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2168 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2169 reasons of efficiency.
2171 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2172 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2174 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2175 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2176 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2178 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2179 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2180 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2181 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2182 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2183 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2184 relevant valid ranges.
2186 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2187 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2188 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2189 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2190 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2191 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2194 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2195 one with the best level.
2197 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2198 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2199 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2202 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2203 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2204 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2205 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2208 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2209 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2210 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2211 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2213 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2214 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2215 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2216 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2217 to 5. The default is 6.
2221 @section Group Score
2226 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2227 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2228 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2231 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2232 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2233 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2234 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2235 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2236 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2237 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2238 least significant part.))
2240 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2241 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2242 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2243 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2244 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2245 action after each summary exit, you can add
2246 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2247 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2248 slow things down somewhat.
2251 @node Marking Groups
2252 @section Marking Groups
2253 @cindex marking groups
2255 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2256 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2257 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2258 bidding on those groups.
2260 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2261 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2262 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2270 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2271 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2277 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2278 Remove the mark from the current group
2279 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2283 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2284 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2288 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2289 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2293 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2294 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2298 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2299 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2300 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2303 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2305 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2306 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2307 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2308 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2309 the command to be executed.
2312 @node Foreign Groups
2313 @section Foreign Groups
2314 @cindex foreign groups
2316 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2317 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2318 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2319 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2326 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2327 @cindex making groups
2328 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2329 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2330 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2334 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2335 @cindex renaming groups
2336 Rename the current group to something else
2337 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2338 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2344 @findex gnus-group-customize
2345 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2349 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2350 @cindex renaming groups
2351 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2352 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2356 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2357 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2358 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2362 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2363 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2364 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2368 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2370 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2371 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2376 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2377 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2381 @cindex (ding) archive
2382 @cindex archive group
2383 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2384 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2385 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2386 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2387 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2388 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2389 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2393 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2395 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2396 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2397 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2398 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2402 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2404 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2405 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2406 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2410 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2411 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2413 Make a group based on some file or other
2414 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2415 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2416 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2417 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2418 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2419 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2420 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2424 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2425 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2426 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2427 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2431 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2436 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2437 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2438 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2439 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2440 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2441 @xref{Web Searches}.
2443 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2444 to a particular group by using a match string like
2445 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2448 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2449 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2450 This function will delete the current group
2451 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2452 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2453 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2454 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2455 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2459 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2460 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2461 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2465 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2466 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2467 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2470 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2473 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2474 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2475 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2476 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2477 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2478 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2482 @node Group Parameters
2483 @section Group Parameters
2484 @cindex group parameters
2486 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2487 Here's an example group parameter list:
2490 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2494 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2495 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2496 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2497 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2499 The following group parameters can be used:
2504 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2507 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2510 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2511 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2512 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2513 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2514 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2516 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2517 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2518 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2519 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2520 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2521 list address instead.
2525 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2528 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2531 It is totally ignored
2532 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2533 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2535 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2536 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2537 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2538 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2539 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2541 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2542 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2543 sending the message.
2547 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2548 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2549 of whether it has any unread articles.
2551 @item broken-reply-to
2552 @cindex broken-reply-to
2553 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2554 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2555 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2556 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2557 broken behavior. So there!
2561 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2562 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2566 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2567 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2568 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2573 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2574 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2575 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2576 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2577 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2578 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2579 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2583 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2584 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2585 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2588 @cindex total-expire
2589 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2590 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2591 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2592 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2597 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2598 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2599 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2600 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2601 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2602 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2605 @cindex score file group parameter
2606 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2607 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2608 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2611 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2612 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2613 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2614 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2617 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2618 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2619 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2620 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2623 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2624 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2628 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2631 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2636 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2637 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2638 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2642 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2643 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2644 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2646 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2647 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2648 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2649 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2650 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2651 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2652 @code{eval}ed there.
2654 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2655 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2656 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2657 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2658 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2661 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2662 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2663 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2664 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2665 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2667 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2668 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2669 like this in the group parameters:
2674 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2679 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2680 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2684 @node Listing Groups
2685 @section Listing Groups
2686 @cindex group listing
2688 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2696 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2697 List all groups that have unread articles
2698 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2699 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2700 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2701 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2708 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2709 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2710 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2711 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2712 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2713 unsubscribed groups).
2717 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2718 List all unread groups on a specific level
2719 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2720 with no unread articles.
2724 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2725 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2726 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2727 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2732 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2733 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2737 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2738 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2739 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2743 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2744 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2748 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2749 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2750 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2751 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2752 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2753 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2754 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2755 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2759 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2760 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2761 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2765 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2766 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2767 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2771 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2772 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2776 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2777 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2781 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2782 @cindex visible group parameter
2783 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2784 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2785 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2786 get the same effect.
2788 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2789 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2790 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2791 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2792 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2795 @node Sorting Groups
2796 @section Sorting Groups
2797 @cindex sorting groups
2799 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2800 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2801 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2802 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2803 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2804 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2809 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2810 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2811 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2813 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2814 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2815 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2817 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2818 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2819 Sort by group level.
2821 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2822 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2823 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2825 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2826 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2827 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2828 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2830 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2831 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2832 Sort by number of unread articles.
2834 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2835 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2836 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2841 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2842 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2846 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2847 some sorting criteria:
2851 @kindex G S a (Group)
2852 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2853 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2854 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2857 @kindex G S u (Group)
2858 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2859 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2860 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2863 @kindex G S l (Group)
2864 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2865 Sort the group buffer by group level
2866 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2869 @kindex G S v (Group)
2870 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2871 Sort the group buffer by group score
2872 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2875 @kindex G S r (Group)
2876 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2877 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2878 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2881 @kindex G S m (Group)
2882 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2883 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2884 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2888 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2889 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2891 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2892 commands will sort in reverse order.
2894 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2898 @kindex G P a (Group)
2899 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2900 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2901 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2904 @kindex G P u (Group)
2905 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2906 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2907 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2910 @kindex G P l (Group)
2911 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2912 Sort the groups by group level
2913 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2916 @kindex G P v (Group)
2917 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2918 Sort the groups by group score
2919 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2922 @kindex G P r (Group)
2923 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2924 Sort the groups by group rank
2925 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2928 @kindex G P m (Group)
2929 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2930 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2931 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2937 @node Group Maintenance
2938 @section Group Maintenance
2939 @cindex bogus groups
2944 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2945 Find bogus groups and delete them
2946 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2950 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2951 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2952 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2953 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2954 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2958 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2959 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2960 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2961 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2964 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2965 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2966 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2967 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2972 @node Browse Foreign Server
2973 @section Browse Foreign Server
2974 @cindex foreign servers
2975 @cindex browsing servers
2980 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2981 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2982 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2983 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2986 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2987 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2988 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2989 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2991 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2996 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2997 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3001 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3002 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3005 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3006 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3007 Enter the current group and display the first article
3008 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3011 @kindex RET (Browse)
3012 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3013 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3017 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3018 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3019 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3025 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3026 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3030 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3031 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3032 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3037 @section Exiting Gnus
3038 @cindex exiting Gnus
3040 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3045 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3046 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3047 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3048 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3052 @findex gnus-group-exit
3053 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3054 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3058 @findex gnus-group-quit
3059 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3060 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3063 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3064 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3065 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3066 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3067 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3072 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3073 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3074 trying to customize meta-variables.
3079 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3080 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3081 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3087 @section Group Topics
3090 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3091 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3092 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3093 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3094 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3095 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3099 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3100 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3111 2: alt.religion.emacs
3114 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3116 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3117 13: comp.sources.unix
3120 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3122 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3123 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3124 is a toggling command.)
3126 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3127 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3128 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3129 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3132 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3133 the hook for the group mode:
3136 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3140 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3141 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3142 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3143 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3144 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3148 @node Topic Variables
3149 @subsection Topic Variables
3150 @cindex topic variables
3152 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3153 really neat, I think.
3155 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3156 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3157 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3170 Number of groups in the topic.
3172 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3174 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3177 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3178 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3179 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3182 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3183 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3185 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3186 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3187 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3190 @node Topic Commands
3191 @subsection Topic Commands
3192 @cindex topic commands
3194 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3195 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3196 definitions slightly.
3202 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3203 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3204 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3208 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3209 Move the current group to some other topic
3210 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3211 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3215 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3216 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3220 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3221 Copy the current group to some other topic
3222 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3223 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3227 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3228 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3229 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3230 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3231 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3232 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3233 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3236 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3237 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3241 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3242 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3243 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3247 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3248 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3249 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3253 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3254 Toggle hiding empty topics
3255 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3259 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3260 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3261 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3264 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3265 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3266 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3267 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3271 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3273 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3274 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3275 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3276 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3279 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3280 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3281 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3282 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3286 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3288 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3289 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3290 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3291 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3292 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3293 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3296 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3297 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3298 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3299 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3303 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3304 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3305 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3309 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3310 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3311 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3316 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3317 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3320 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3321 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3322 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3326 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3327 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3328 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3332 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3333 @cindex group parameters
3334 @cindex topic parameters
3336 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3337 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3343 @subsection Topic Sorting
3344 @cindex topic sorting
3346 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3352 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3353 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3354 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3355 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3358 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3359 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3360 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3361 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3364 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3365 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3366 Sort the current topic by group level
3367 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3370 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3371 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3372 Sort the current topic by group score
3373 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3376 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3377 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3378 Sort the current topic by group rank
3379 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3382 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3383 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3384 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3385 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3389 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3392 @node Topic Topology
3393 @subsection Topic Topology
3394 @cindex topic topology
3397 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3403 2: alt.religion.emacs
3406 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3408 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3409 13: comp.sources.unix
3412 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3413 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3414 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3419 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3420 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3424 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3425 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3426 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3427 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3428 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3429 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3431 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3432 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3433 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3436 @node Topic Parameters
3437 @subsection Topic Parameters
3438 @cindex topic parameters
3440 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3441 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3442 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3444 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3449 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3450 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3451 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3456 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3457 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3458 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3459 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3465 2: alt.religion.emacs
3469 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3471 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3472 13: comp.sources.unix
3476 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3477 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3478 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3479 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3480 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3481 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3483 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3484 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3485 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3486 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3487 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3489 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3490 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3491 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3492 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3493 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3494 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3495 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3496 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3499 @node Misc Group Stuff
3500 @section Misc Group Stuff
3503 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3504 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3505 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3506 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3513 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3514 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3515 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3519 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3520 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3521 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3525 @findex gnus-group-mail
3526 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3530 Variables for the group buffer:
3534 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3535 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3536 is called after the group buffer has been
3539 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3540 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3541 is called after the group buffer is
3542 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3545 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3546 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3547 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3548 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3550 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3551 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3552 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3553 whether they are empty or not.
3555 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3556 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3557 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3558 non-ASCII group names.
3562 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3563 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3566 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3567 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3568 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3569 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3573 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3574 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3579 @node Scanning New Messages
3580 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3581 @cindex new messages
3582 @cindex scanning new news
3588 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3589 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3590 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3591 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3592 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3593 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3598 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3599 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3600 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3601 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3602 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3603 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3604 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3606 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3607 @cindex activating groups
3609 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3610 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3615 @findex gnus-group-restart
3616 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3617 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3618 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3622 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3623 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3625 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3626 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3630 @node Group Information
3631 @subsection Group Information
3632 @cindex group information
3633 @cindex information on groups
3640 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3641 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3644 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3645 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3646 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3647 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3648 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3649 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3650 for fetching the file.
3652 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3653 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3657 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3659 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3660 @cindex describing groups
3661 @cindex group description
3662 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3663 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3664 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3668 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3669 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3670 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3677 @findex gnus-version
3678 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3682 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3683 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3686 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3689 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3690 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3694 @node Group Timestamp
3695 @subsection Group Timestamp
3697 @cindex group timestamps
3699 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3700 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3701 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3704 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3707 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3709 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3710 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3713 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3714 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3717 This will result in lines looking like:
3720 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3721 0: custom 19961002T012713
3724 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3725 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3729 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3730 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3735 @subsection File Commands
3736 @cindex file commands
3742 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3743 @vindex gnus-init-file
3744 @cindex reading init file
3745 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3746 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3750 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3751 @cindex saving .newsrc
3752 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3753 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3754 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3757 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3758 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3759 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3764 @node The Summary Buffer
3765 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3766 @cindex summary buffer
3768 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3769 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3771 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3772 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3774 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3777 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3778 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3779 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3780 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3781 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3782 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3783 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3784 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3785 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3786 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3787 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3788 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3789 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3790 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3791 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3792 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3793 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3794 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3795 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3796 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3797 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3798 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3799 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3800 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3801 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3802 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3803 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3804 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3808 @node Summary Buffer Format
3809 @section Summary Buffer Format
3810 @cindex summary buffer format
3814 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3815 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3816 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3822 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3823 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3824 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3825 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3828 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3829 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3830 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3831 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3832 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3833 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3834 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3835 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3836 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3837 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3838 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3841 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3842 'mail-extract-address-components)
3845 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3846 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3847 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3848 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3851 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3852 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3854 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3855 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3856 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3857 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3858 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3860 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3862 The following format specification characters are understood:
3868 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3869 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3871 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3872 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3873 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3875 Full @code{From} header.
3877 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3879 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3880 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3882 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3883 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3884 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3885 may be more thorough.
3887 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3890 Number of lines in the article.
3892 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3893 methods (like nnfolder).
3895 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3897 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3898 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3900 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3901 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3903 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3904 for adopted articles.
3906 One space for each thread level.
3908 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3913 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3914 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3918 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3920 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3921 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3922 default level. If the difference between
3923 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3924 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3932 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3934 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3940 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3941 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3943 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3944 article has any children.
3950 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3951 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3952 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3953 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3954 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3955 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3958 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3959 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3960 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3961 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3962 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3963 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3965 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3966 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3968 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3971 @node To From Newsgroups
3972 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3976 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3977 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3978 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3979 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3980 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3984 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3985 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3986 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3990 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3991 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3994 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3995 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3998 @findex gnus-extra-header
3999 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4000 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4001 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4004 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4008 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4009 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4010 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4011 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4012 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4013 headers are used instead.
4017 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4018 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4019 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4020 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4023 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4024 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4025 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4026 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4028 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
4031 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4033 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4034 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4035 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4036 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4040 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4041 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4048 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4049 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4052 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4053 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4055 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4056 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4057 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4058 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4060 Here are the elements you can play with:
4066 Unprefixed group name.
4068 Current article number.
4070 Current article score.
4074 Number of unread articles in this group.
4076 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4079 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4080 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4081 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4082 and no unselected ones.
4084 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4085 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4087 Subject of the current article.
4089 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4091 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4093 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4095 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4097 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4099 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4103 @node Summary Highlighting
4104 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4108 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4109 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4110 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4111 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4112 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4114 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4115 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4116 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4117 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4119 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4120 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4121 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4122 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4124 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4125 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4126 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4127 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4128 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4129 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4132 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4133 ((> score default) . bold))
4135 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4136 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4140 @node Summary Maneuvering
4141 @section Summary Maneuvering
4142 @cindex summary movement
4144 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4145 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4147 None of these commands select articles.
4152 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4153 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4154 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4155 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4156 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4160 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4161 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4162 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4163 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4164 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4169 @kindex G j (Summary)
4170 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4171 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4172 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4175 @kindex G g (Summary)
4176 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4177 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4178 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4181 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4182 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4183 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4184 to the group buffer.
4186 Variables related to summary movement:
4190 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4191 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4192 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4193 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4194 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4195 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4196 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4197 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4198 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4199 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4200 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4201 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4202 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4203 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4205 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4206 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4207 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4208 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4209 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4210 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4211 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4213 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4215 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4216 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4217 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4218 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4219 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4221 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4222 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4223 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4224 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4225 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4226 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4227 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4228 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4231 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4232 the given number of lines from the top.
4237 @node Choosing Articles
4238 @section Choosing Articles
4239 @cindex selecting articles
4242 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4243 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4247 @node Choosing Commands
4248 @subsection Choosing Commands
4250 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4251 and they all select and display an article.
4255 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4256 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4257 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4258 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4263 @kindex G n (Summary)
4264 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4265 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4266 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4271 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4272 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4273 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4278 @kindex G N (Summary)
4279 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4280 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4285 @kindex G P (Summary)
4286 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4287 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4290 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4291 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4292 Go to the next article with the same subject
4293 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4296 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4297 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4298 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4299 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4303 @kindex G f (Summary)
4305 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4306 Go to the first unread article
4307 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4311 @kindex G b (Summary)
4313 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4314 Go to the article with the highest score
4315 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4320 @kindex G l (Summary)
4321 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4322 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4325 @kindex G o (Summary)
4326 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4328 @cindex article history
4329 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4330 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4331 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4332 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4333 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4334 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4338 @node Choosing Variables
4339 @subsection Choosing Variables
4341 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4344 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4345 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4346 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4347 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4348 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4349 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4351 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4352 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4353 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4354 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4356 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4357 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4358 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4359 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4360 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4361 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4362 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4363 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4364 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4365 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4366 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4367 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4368 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4369 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4374 @node Paging the Article
4375 @section Scrolling the Article
4376 @cindex article scrolling
4381 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4382 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4383 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4384 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4385 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4388 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4389 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4390 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4393 @kindex RET (Summary)
4394 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4395 Scroll the current article one line forward
4396 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4399 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4400 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4401 Scroll the current article one line backward
4402 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4406 @kindex A g (Summary)
4408 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4409 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4410 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4411 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4412 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4413 the way it came from the server.
4415 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4416 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4417 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4420 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4425 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4430 @kindex A < (Summary)
4431 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4432 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4433 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4438 @kindex A > (Summary)
4439 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4440 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4444 @kindex A s (Summary)
4446 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4447 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4448 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4452 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4453 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4458 @node Reply Followup and Post
4459 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4462 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4463 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4464 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4465 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4469 @node Summary Mail Commands
4470 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4472 @cindex composing mail
4474 Commands for composing a mail message:
4480 @kindex S r (Summary)
4482 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4483 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4484 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4485 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4486 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4491 @kindex S R (Summary)
4492 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4493 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4494 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4495 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4496 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4499 @kindex S w (Summary)
4500 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4501 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4502 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4503 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4504 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4507 @kindex S W (Summary)
4508 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4509 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4510 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4511 the process/prefix convention.
4515 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4516 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4517 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4518 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4519 Forward the current article to some other person
4520 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4521 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4522 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4523 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, foward message
4524 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4525 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, foward message
4526 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4527 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4528 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4533 @kindex S m (Summary)
4534 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4535 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4536 Send a mail to some other person
4537 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4540 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4541 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4542 @cindex bouncing mail
4543 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4544 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4545 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4546 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4547 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4548 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4549 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4550 very well fail, though.
4553 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4554 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4555 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4556 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4557 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4558 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4559 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4560 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4561 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4562 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4564 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4565 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4566 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4567 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4568 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4570 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4571 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4574 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4575 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4576 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4577 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4578 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4581 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4582 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4583 @cindex crossposting
4584 @cindex excessive crossposting
4585 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4586 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4588 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4589 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4590 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4591 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4592 command understands the process/prefix convention
4593 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4597 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4600 @node Summary Post Commands
4601 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4603 @cindex composing news
4605 Commands for posting a news article:
4611 @kindex S p (Summary)
4612 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4613 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4614 Post an article to the current group
4615 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4620 @kindex S f (Summary)
4621 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4622 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4623 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4627 @kindex S F (Summary)
4629 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4630 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4631 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4632 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4633 process/prefix convention.
4636 @kindex S n (Summary)
4637 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4638 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4639 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4642 @kindex S N (Summary)
4643 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4644 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4645 message through mail and include the original message
4646 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4647 the process/prefix convention.
4650 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4651 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4652 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4653 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
4654 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
4655 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
4656 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4657 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, foward message
4658 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4659 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, foward message
4660 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4661 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4662 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4665 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4666 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4668 @cindex making digests
4669 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4670 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4671 process/prefix convention.
4674 @kindex S u (Summary)
4675 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4676 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4677 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4678 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4681 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4684 @node Summary Message Commands
4685 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4689 @kindex S y (Summary)
4690 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4691 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4692 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4693 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4694 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4699 @node Canceling and Superseding
4700 @subsection Canceling Articles
4701 @cindex canceling articles
4702 @cindex superseding articles
4704 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4705 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4707 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4709 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4711 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4712 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4713 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4714 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4715 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4716 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4718 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4719 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4722 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4723 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4724 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4726 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4727 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4728 your original article.
4730 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4732 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4733 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4734 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4737 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4738 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4739 have posted almost the same article twice.
4741 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4742 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4743 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4744 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4745 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4746 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4747 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4748 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4749 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4750 canceled/superseded.
4752 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4755 @node Marking Articles
4756 @section Marking Articles
4757 @cindex article marking
4758 @cindex article ticking
4761 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4763 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4764 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4765 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4767 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4770 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4771 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4772 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4776 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4780 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4781 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4782 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4786 @node Unread Articles
4787 @subsection Unread Articles
4789 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4794 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4795 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4797 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4798 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4799 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4800 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4801 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4805 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4806 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4808 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4809 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4810 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4813 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4814 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4816 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4821 @subsection Read Articles
4822 @cindex expirable mark
4824 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4829 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4830 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4831 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4834 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4835 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4838 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4839 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4840 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4843 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4844 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4847 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4848 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4851 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4852 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4855 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4856 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4859 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4860 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4863 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4864 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4867 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4868 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4872 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4873 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4874 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4878 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4879 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4881 One more special mark, though:
4885 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4886 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4888 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4889 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4890 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4891 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4897 @subsection Other Marks
4898 @cindex process mark
4901 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4907 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4908 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4909 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4910 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4911 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4914 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4915 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4916 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4917 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4920 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4921 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4922 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4925 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4926 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4927 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4928 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4931 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4932 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4933 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4934 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4935 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4938 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4939 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4940 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4941 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4942 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4943 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4947 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4948 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4949 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4951 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4952 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4953 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4957 @subsection Setting Marks
4958 @cindex setting marks
4960 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4965 @kindex M c (Summary)
4966 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4967 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4968 @cindex mark as unread
4969 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4970 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4976 @kindex M t (Summary)
4977 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4978 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4979 @xref{Article Caching}.
4984 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4986 Mark the current article as dormant
4987 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4991 @kindex M d (Summary)
4993 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4994 Mark the current article as read
4995 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4999 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5000 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5001 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5006 @kindex M k (Summary)
5007 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5008 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5009 and then select the next unread article
5010 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5014 @kindex M K (Summary)
5015 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5016 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5017 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5018 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5021 @kindex M C (Summary)
5022 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5023 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5024 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5027 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5028 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5029 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5030 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5033 @kindex M H (Summary)
5034 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5035 Catchup the current group to point
5036 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5039 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5040 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5041 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5042 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5045 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5046 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5047 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5048 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5052 @kindex M e (Summary)
5054 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5055 Mark the current article as expirable
5056 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5059 @kindex M b (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5061 Set a bookmark in the current article
5062 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5065 @kindex M B (Summary)
5066 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5067 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5068 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5071 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5072 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5073 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5074 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5077 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5078 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5079 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5080 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5083 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5084 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5085 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5086 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5087 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5090 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5091 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5092 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5093 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5094 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5095 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5096 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5097 The default is @code{t}.
5100 @node Generic Marking Commands
5101 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5103 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5104 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5105 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5106 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5107 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5110 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
5111 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5114 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5115 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5116 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5117 to list in this manual.
5119 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5120 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5121 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5122 article, you could say something like:
5125 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5126 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5127 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5133 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5134 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5138 @node Setting Process Marks
5139 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5140 @cindex setting process marks
5147 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5148 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5149 Mark the current article with the process mark
5150 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5151 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5155 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5156 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5157 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5158 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5161 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5162 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5163 Remove the process mark from all articles
5164 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5167 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5168 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5169 Invert the list of process marked articles
5170 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5173 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5175 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5176 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5179 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5180 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5181 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5182 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5185 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5186 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5187 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5190 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5192 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5193 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5196 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5197 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5198 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5199 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5202 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5203 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5204 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5205 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5208 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5210 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5213 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5214 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5215 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5216 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5219 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5220 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5221 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5224 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5225 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5226 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5227 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5230 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5231 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5232 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5233 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5236 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5237 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5238 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5239 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5242 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5243 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5244 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5245 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5249 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5250 set process marks based on article body contents.
5257 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5258 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5259 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5262 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5263 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5264 additional articles.
5270 @kindex / / (Summary)
5271 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5272 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5273 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5276 @kindex / a (Summary)
5277 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5278 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5279 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5282 @kindex / x (Summary)
5283 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5284 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5285 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5286 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5290 @kindex / u (Summary)
5292 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5293 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5294 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5295 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5296 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5299 @kindex / m (Summary)
5300 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5301 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5302 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5305 @kindex / t (Summary)
5306 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5307 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5308 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5309 articles younger than that number of days.
5312 @kindex / n (Summary)
5313 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5314 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5315 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5316 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5319 @kindex / w (Summary)
5320 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5321 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5322 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5326 @kindex / v (Summary)
5327 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5328 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5329 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5333 @kindex M S (Summary)
5334 @kindex / E (Summary)
5335 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5336 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5337 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5340 @kindex / D (Summary)
5341 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5342 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5343 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5346 @kindex / * (Summary)
5347 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5348 Include all cached articles in the limit
5349 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5352 @kindex / d (Summary)
5353 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5354 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5355 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5358 @kindex / M (Summary)
5359 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5360 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5363 @kindex / T (Summary)
5364 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5365 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5368 @kindex / c (Summary)
5369 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5370 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5371 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5374 @kindex / C (Summary)
5375 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5376 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5377 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5378 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5386 @cindex article threading
5388 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5389 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5390 hierarchical fashion.
5392 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5393 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5394 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5395 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
5396 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5397 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5398 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5400 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5404 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5407 A tree-like article structure.
5410 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5413 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5414 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5415 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5416 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5417 called loose threads.
5419 @item thread gathering
5420 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5422 @item sparse threads
5423 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5424 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5430 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5431 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5435 @node Customizing Threading
5436 @subsection Customizing Threading
5437 @cindex customizing threading
5440 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5441 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5442 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5443 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5448 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5451 @cindex loose threads
5454 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5455 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5456 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5457 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5458 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5459 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5461 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5462 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5463 There are four possible values:
5467 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5468 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5469 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5470 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5471 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5476 @cindex adopting articles
5481 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5482 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5483 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5484 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5487 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5488 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5489 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5490 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5491 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5492 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5493 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5496 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5497 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5498 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5502 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5503 display them after one another.
5506 Don't gather loose threads.
5509 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5510 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5511 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5512 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5513 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5514 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5515 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5516 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5517 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5518 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
5519 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5521 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5522 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
5523 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5526 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5527 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5528 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5529 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5530 simplification is used.
5532 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5533 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5534 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5535 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5537 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5539 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5545 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5546 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5547 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5548 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5553 (mapconcat 'identity
5554 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5556 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5559 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5562 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5563 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5564 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5565 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5566 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5567 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5569 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5572 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5573 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5574 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5576 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5577 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5580 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5581 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5582 Remove excessive whitespace.
5585 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5588 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5589 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5590 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5591 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5592 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5593 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5594 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5595 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5597 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5598 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5599 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5600 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5601 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5602 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5603 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5604 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5605 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5609 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5610 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5611 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5612 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5614 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5615 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5616 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5619 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5623 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5624 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5630 @node Filling In Threads
5631 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5634 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5635 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5636 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5637 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5638 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5639 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5640 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5641 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5642 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5643 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5644 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5645 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
5647 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5648 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5649 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5651 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5652 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5653 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5654 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5655 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5656 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5657 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
5658 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5659 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
5660 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
5661 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5662 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
5663 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5664 @code{nil} by default.
5669 @node More Threading
5670 @subsubsection More Threading
5673 @item gnus-show-threads
5674 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5675 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5676 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5677 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5678 slower and more awkward.
5680 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5681 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5682 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5685 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5686 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5687 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5688 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5689 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5690 threads are expunged.
5692 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5693 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5694 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5697 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5698 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5699 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5700 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5701 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5704 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5705 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5706 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5709 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5710 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5711 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5712 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5713 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5714 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5715 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5716 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5717 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5718 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5719 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5724 @node Low-Level Threading
5725 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5729 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5730 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5731 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5733 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5734 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5735 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5736 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5737 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5738 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5739 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5740 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5741 meaningful. Here's one example:
5744 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5746 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5747 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5749 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5751 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5758 @node Thread Commands
5759 @subsection Thread Commands
5760 @cindex thread commands
5766 @kindex T k (Summary)
5767 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5768 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5769 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5770 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5771 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5776 @kindex T l (Summary)
5777 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5778 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5779 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5780 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5783 @kindex T i (Summary)
5784 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5785 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5786 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5789 @kindex T # (Summary)
5790 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5791 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5792 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5795 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5796 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5797 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5798 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5801 @kindex T T (Summary)
5802 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5803 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5806 @kindex T s (Summary)
5807 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5808 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5809 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5812 @kindex T h (Summary)
5813 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5814 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5817 @kindex T S (Summary)
5818 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5819 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5822 @kindex T H (Summary)
5823 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5824 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5827 @kindex T t (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5829 Re-thread the current article's thread
5830 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5831 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5834 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5835 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5836 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5837 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5841 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5842 understand the numeric prefix.
5847 @kindex T n (Summary)
5849 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
5851 @kindex M-down (Summary)
5852 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5853 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5856 @kindex T p (Summary)
5858 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
5860 @kindex M-up (Summary)
5861 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5862 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5865 @kindex T d (Summary)
5866 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5867 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5870 @kindex T u (Summary)
5871 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5872 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5875 @kindex T o (Summary)
5876 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5877 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5880 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5881 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5882 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5883 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5884 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5885 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5886 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5887 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5888 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5889 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5890 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5891 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5898 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5899 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5900 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5901 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5902 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5903 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5904 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5905 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5906 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5907 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5908 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5910 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5911 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5912 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5913 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5914 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5916 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5917 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5918 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5920 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5921 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5922 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5923 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5924 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5925 ascending article order.
5927 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5928 by number, you could do something like:
5931 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5932 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5933 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5934 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5937 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5938 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5939 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5940 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5941 which the articles arrived.
5943 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5947 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5949 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5950 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5953 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5954 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5955 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5956 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5959 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5960 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5961 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5962 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5963 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5964 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5965 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5966 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5967 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5968 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5969 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5970 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5971 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5973 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5977 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5978 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5979 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5984 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5985 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5986 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5987 @cindex article pre-fetch
5990 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5991 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5992 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5993 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5994 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5996 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5997 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5999 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6000 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6001 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6002 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6003 connection is blocked.
6005 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6006 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6007 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6008 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6010 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6011 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6012 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6013 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6016 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6019 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6020 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6021 happen automatically.
6023 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6024 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6025 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6026 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6027 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6028 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6029 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6031 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6032 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6033 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6034 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6035 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6036 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6037 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6038 data structure as the only parameter.
6040 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6043 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6044 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6045 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6046 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6049 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6052 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6053 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6054 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6056 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6057 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6058 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6059 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6063 Remove articles when they are read.
6066 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6069 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6071 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6072 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6073 @c from the next group.
6076 @node Article Caching
6077 @section Article Caching
6078 @cindex article caching
6081 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6082 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6083 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6084 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6085 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6087 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6089 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6090 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6091 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6092 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6093 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6094 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6095 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
6096 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6098 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6099 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6100 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6101 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6102 as dormant, and don't worry.
6104 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6106 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6107 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6108 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6109 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6110 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6111 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6112 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6113 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6114 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6115 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6117 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6118 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6119 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6120 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6121 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6122 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6123 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6124 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6125 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6126 not then be downloaded by this command.
6128 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6129 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6130 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6131 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6132 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6133 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6135 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6136 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6137 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6138 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6139 variables, the group is not cached.
6141 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6142 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6143 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6144 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6145 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6146 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6147 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6148 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6149 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6153 @node Persistent Articles
6154 @section Persistent Articles
6155 @cindex persistent articles
6157 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6158 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6159 useful in my opinion.
6161 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6162 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6163 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6164 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6165 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6166 the expiry going on at the news server.
6168 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6169 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6170 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6176 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6177 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6180 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6181 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6182 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6183 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6187 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6189 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6190 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6191 interested in persistent articles:
6194 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6198 @node Article Backlog
6199 @section Article Backlog
6201 @cindex article backlog
6203 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6204 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6205 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6206 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6207 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6208 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6209 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6210 increase memory usage some.
6212 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6213 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6214 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6215 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6216 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6217 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6218 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6220 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6223 @node Saving Articles
6224 @section Saving Articles
6225 @cindex saving articles
6227 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6228 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6229 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6230 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6231 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6233 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6234 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6235 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6237 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6238 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6239 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6240 deleted before saving.
6246 @kindex O o (Summary)
6248 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6249 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6250 Save the current article using the default article saver
6251 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6254 @kindex O m (Summary)
6255 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6256 Save the current article in mail format
6257 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6260 @kindex O r (Summary)
6261 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6262 Save the current article in rmail format
6263 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6266 @kindex O f (Summary)
6267 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6268 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6269 Save the current article in plain file format
6270 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6273 @kindex O F (Summary)
6274 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6275 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6276 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6279 @kindex O b (Summary)
6280 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6281 Save the current article body in plain file format
6282 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6285 @kindex O h (Summary)
6286 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6287 Save the current article in mh folder format
6288 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6291 @kindex O v (Summary)
6292 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6293 Save the current article in a VM folder
6294 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6297 @kindex O p (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6299 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6300 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6303 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6304 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6305 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6306 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6307 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6308 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6309 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6310 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6311 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6312 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6313 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6314 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6318 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6319 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6320 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6321 functions below, or you can create your own.
6325 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6326 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6327 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6328 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6329 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6330 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6331 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6333 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6334 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6335 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6336 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6337 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6338 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6340 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6341 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6342 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6343 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6344 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6345 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6346 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6348 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6349 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6350 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6351 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6352 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6354 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6355 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6356 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6357 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6358 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6361 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6362 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6363 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6364 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6365 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6367 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6368 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6369 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6370 reader to use this setting.
6373 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6374 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6375 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6376 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6379 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6380 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6381 available functions that generate names:
6385 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6386 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6387 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6389 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6390 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6391 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6393 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6394 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6395 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6397 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6398 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6399 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6402 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6403 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6404 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6405 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6406 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6410 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6411 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6412 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6413 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6416 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6417 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6418 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6419 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6420 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6421 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6422 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6423 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6424 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6426 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6427 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6428 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6429 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6431 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6432 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6433 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6436 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6437 lots of mail groups called things like
6438 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6439 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6440 following will do just that:
6443 (defun my-save-name (group)
6444 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6445 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6447 (setq gnus-split-methods
6448 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6453 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6454 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6455 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6456 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6457 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6458 all the files in the top level directory
6459 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6460 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6461 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6462 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6464 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6465 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6466 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6467 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6468 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6471 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6475 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6476 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6479 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6480 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6481 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6482 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6485 @node Decoding Articles
6486 @section Decoding Articles
6487 @cindex decoding articles
6489 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6490 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6493 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6494 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6495 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6496 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6497 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6498 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6502 @cindex article series
6503 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6504 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6505 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6506 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6507 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6509 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6510 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6511 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6513 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
6514 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6515 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6517 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6518 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6519 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6522 @node Uuencoded Articles
6523 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6525 @cindex uuencoded articles
6530 @kindex X u (Summary)
6531 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6532 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6533 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6536 @kindex X U (Summary)
6537 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6538 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6539 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6542 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6543 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6544 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6547 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6548 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6549 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6550 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6554 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6555 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6556 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6557 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6558 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6560 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6561 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6562 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6563 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6566 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6567 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6568 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6569 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6570 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6571 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6575 @node Shell Archives
6576 @subsection Shell Archives
6578 @cindex shell archives
6579 @cindex shared articles
6581 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6582 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6583 some commands to deal with these:
6588 @kindex X s (Summary)
6589 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6590 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6593 @kindex X S (Summary)
6594 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6595 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6598 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6599 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6600 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6603 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6604 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6605 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6606 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6610 @node PostScript Files
6611 @subsection PostScript Files
6617 @kindex X p (Summary)
6618 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6619 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6622 @kindex X P (Summary)
6623 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6624 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6625 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6628 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6629 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6630 View the current PostScript series
6631 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6634 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6635 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6636 View and save the current PostScript series
6637 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6642 @subsection Other Files
6646 @kindex X o (Summary)
6647 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6648 Save the current series
6649 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6652 @kindex X b (Summary)
6653 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6654 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6655 doesn't really work yet.
6659 @node Decoding Variables
6660 @subsection Decoding Variables
6662 Adjective, not verb.
6665 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6666 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6667 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6671 @node Rule Variables
6672 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6673 @cindex rule variables
6675 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6676 variables are of the form
6679 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6686 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6687 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6689 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6690 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6693 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6694 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6697 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6698 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6699 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6700 user and default view rules.
6702 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6703 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6704 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6709 @node Other Decode Variables
6710 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6713 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6715 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6716 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6717 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6718 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6719 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6723 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6724 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6727 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6728 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6729 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6732 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6733 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6734 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6735 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6736 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6739 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6740 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6741 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6743 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6744 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6745 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6746 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6747 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6750 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6751 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6752 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6754 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6755 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6756 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6757 looking for files to display.
6759 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6760 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6761 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6764 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6765 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6766 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6769 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6770 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6771 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6774 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6775 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6776 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6779 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6780 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6781 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6782 decoded articles as unread.
6784 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6785 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6786 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6787 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6789 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6790 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6791 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6793 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6794 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6796 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6797 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6798 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6799 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6801 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6802 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6803 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6804 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6805 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6806 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
6807 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6808 simply dropped them.
6813 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6814 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6818 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6819 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6820 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6821 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6822 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6823 for you when you post the article.
6825 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6826 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6827 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6828 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6830 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6831 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6832 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6833 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6834 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6835 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6836 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6838 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6839 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6840 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6841 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6842 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6843 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6844 Default is @code{t}.
6850 @subsection Viewing Files
6851 @cindex viewing files
6852 @cindex pseudo-articles
6854 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6855 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6856 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6857 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6858 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6859 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6860 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6862 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6863 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6864 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6865 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6867 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6868 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6869 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6871 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6872 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6873 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6874 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6875 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6877 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6878 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6879 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6880 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6881 a list of parameters to that command.
6883 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6884 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6885 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6887 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6888 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6889 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6892 @node Article Treatment
6893 @section Article Treatment
6895 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6896 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6897 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6898 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6899 these articles easier.
6902 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6903 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6904 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6905 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6906 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6907 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6908 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6909 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6913 @node Article Highlighting
6914 @subsection Article Highlighting
6915 @cindex highlighting
6917 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6918 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6923 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6924 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6925 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6926 Do much highlighting of the current article
6927 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6928 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6931 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6932 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6933 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6934 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6935 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6936 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
6937 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
6938 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6939 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6940 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6941 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6942 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6945 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6946 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6947 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6949 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6952 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6954 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6955 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6956 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6958 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6959 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6960 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6962 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6963 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6964 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6966 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6967 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6968 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6969 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6970 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6971 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6973 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6974 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6975 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6977 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6978 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6979 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6981 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6982 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6983 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6984 that it's a citation.
6986 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6987 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6988 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6990 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6991 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6992 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6994 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6995 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6996 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6997 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7003 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7004 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7005 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7006 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7007 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7008 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7009 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7010 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7015 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7018 @node Article Fontisizing
7019 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7021 @cindex article emphasis
7023 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7024 @kindex W e (Summary)
7025 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7026 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7027 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7028 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7030 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7031 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7032 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7033 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7034 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7035 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7036 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7037 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7041 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
7042 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7043 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7052 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7053 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7054 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7055 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7056 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7057 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7058 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7059 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7060 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7061 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7062 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7063 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7064 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7066 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7067 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7068 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7072 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7075 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7077 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7078 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7079 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7080 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7082 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7085 @node Article Hiding
7086 @subsection Article Hiding
7087 @cindex article hiding
7089 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7090 too much cruft in most articles.
7095 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7096 @findex gnus-article-hide
7097 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7098 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7099 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7102 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7103 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7104 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7108 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7109 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7110 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7111 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7114 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7115 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7116 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7120 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7121 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7122 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7123 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}.
7124 These are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of
7125 all @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any
7126 leading @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping.
7130 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7131 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7132 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7133 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7138 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7139 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7140 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7141 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7142 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7143 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7144 articles that have signatures in them do:
7146 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7148 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7150 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7151 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7153 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7156 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7161 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7162 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7163 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7164 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7167 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7168 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7171 @cindex stripping advertisments
7172 @cindex advertisments
7173 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7174 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7175 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7176 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7177 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7178 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7179 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7180 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7181 signature should be removed.
7184 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7185 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7186 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7187 customizing the hiding:
7191 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7192 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7193 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7194 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7195 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7196 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7197 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7202 Starting point of the hidden text.
7204 Ending point of the hidden text.
7206 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7208 Number of lines of hidden text.
7211 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7212 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7213 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7214 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7215 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7220 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7221 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7223 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7224 following two variables:
7227 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7228 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7229 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7230 50), hide the cited text.
7232 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7233 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7234 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7239 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7240 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7241 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7242 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7243 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7244 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7248 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7249 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7250 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7252 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7253 citation customization.
7255 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7259 @node Article Washing
7260 @subsection Article Washing
7262 @cindex article washing
7264 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7265 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7267 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7268 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7274 @kindex W l (Summary)
7275 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7276 Remove page breaks from the current article
7277 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7281 @kindex W r (Summary)
7282 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7283 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7284 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7285 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7286 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7287 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7289 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7290 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7291 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7292 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7296 @kindex W t (Summary)
7298 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7299 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7300 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7303 @kindex W v (Summary)
7304 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7305 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7306 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7309 @kindex W o (Summary)
7310 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7311 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7314 @kindex W d (Summary)
7315 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7316 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7318 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
7320 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7321 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7322 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7323 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7327 @kindex W w (Summary)
7328 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7329 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7331 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7335 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7336 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7337 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7340 @kindex W C (Summary)
7341 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7342 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7343 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7346 @kindex W c (Summary)
7347 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7348 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7349 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7350 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7351 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7354 @kindex W q (Summary)
7355 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7356 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7357 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7358 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7359 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7360 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7361 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7362 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7365 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7366 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7367 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7368 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7369 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7370 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7371 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7375 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7376 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7377 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7378 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7379 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7382 @kindex W h (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7384 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7385 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7386 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7390 @kindex W f (Summary)
7392 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7393 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7394 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7395 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7401 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7402 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7403 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7404 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7405 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7406 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7407 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7408 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7409 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7410 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7411 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7412 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7413 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7414 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7415 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7416 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7417 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7418 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7419 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7420 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7424 @kindex W b (Summary)
7425 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7426 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7427 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7430 @kindex W B (Summary)
7431 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7432 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7433 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7436 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7437 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7438 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7439 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7442 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7443 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7444 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7445 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7448 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7449 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7450 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7451 lines with a single empty line.
7452 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7455 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7456 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7457 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7458 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7461 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7462 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7463 Do all the three commands above
7464 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7467 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7468 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7469 Remove all blank lines
7470 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7473 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7474 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7475 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7476 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7479 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7480 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7481 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7482 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7486 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7489 @node Article Buttons
7490 @subsection Article Buttons
7493 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7494 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7495 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7496 button on these references.
7498 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7499 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7500 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7505 @item gnus-button-alist
7506 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7507 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7510 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7516 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7517 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7518 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7521 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7522 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7523 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7526 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7527 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7528 avoid false matches.
7531 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7534 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7535 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7539 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7542 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7545 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7546 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7547 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7548 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7549 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7552 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7555 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7557 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7558 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7559 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7560 default values of the variables above.
7562 @item gnus-article-button-face
7563 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7564 Face used on buttons.
7566 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7567 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7568 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7572 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7576 @subsection Article Date
7578 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7579 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7580 when the article was sent.
7585 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7586 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7587 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7588 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7591 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7592 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7594 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7595 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7598 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7599 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7600 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7603 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7604 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7605 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7606 @findex format-time-string
7607 Display the date using a user-defined format
7608 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7609 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7610 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7611 for a list of possible format specs.
7614 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7615 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7616 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7617 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7618 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7619 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7622 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7625 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7626 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7629 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7630 into wonderful absurdities.
7632 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7635 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7638 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7639 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7643 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7644 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7645 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7646 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7647 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7648 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7649 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7653 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7654 preferred format automatically.
7657 @node Article Signature
7658 @subsection Article Signature
7660 @cindex article signature
7662 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7663 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7664 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7665 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7666 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7667 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7668 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7669 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7670 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7673 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7674 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7675 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7676 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7677 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7678 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7679 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7680 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7683 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7686 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7687 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7688 signature when displaying articles.
7692 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7695 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7698 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7699 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7701 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7702 in question is not a signature.
7705 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7706 listed above. Here's an example:
7709 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7710 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7713 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7714 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7715 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7716 signature after all.
7719 @node Article Miscellania
7720 @subsection Article Miscellania
7724 @kindex A t (Summary)
7725 @findex gnus-article-babel
7726 Translate the article from one language to another
7727 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7733 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7734 @cindex MIME decoding
7736 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7737 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7743 @kindex K v (Summary)
7744 View the @sc{mime} part.
7747 @kindex K o (Summary)
7748 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7751 @kindex K c (Summary)
7752 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7755 @kindex K e (Summary)
7756 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7759 @kindex K i (Summary)
7760 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7763 @kindex K | (Summary)
7764 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7767 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7772 @kindex K b (Summary)
7773 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
7774 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7778 @kindex K m (Summary)
7779 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7780 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7781 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7782 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7783 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7786 @kindex X m (Summary)
7787 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7788 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7789 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7790 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7793 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7794 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7795 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7796 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7799 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7800 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
7801 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7804 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7805 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7806 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7808 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7809 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7810 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7811 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7812 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7813 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7816 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7817 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7818 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7825 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7826 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7827 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7828 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7831 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7834 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7838 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7839 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7840 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7841 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7842 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7844 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7845 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7846 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7847 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7848 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7849 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7850 save all jpegs into some directory).
7852 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7855 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7856 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7858 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7859 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7860 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7861 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7862 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7865 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7866 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7867 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7876 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7877 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7878 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7879 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7880 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7881 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7882 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7884 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7885 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7886 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7887 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7889 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7890 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7891 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7892 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7893 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7894 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7895 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7896 something some agents insist on having in there.
7898 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
7899 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
7900 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
7901 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
7902 quoted-printable header encoding.
7904 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
7905 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
7906 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
7910 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
7913 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
7914 means encode all charsets),
7916 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
7917 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
7918 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
7925 @cindex coding system aliases
7926 @cindex preferred charset
7928 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
7930 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
7931 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
7934 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
7935 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
7938 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
7939 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
7941 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
7944 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
7947 This will almost do the right thing.
7949 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
7953 (codepage-setup 1251)
7954 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
7958 @node Article Commands
7959 @section Article Commands
7966 @kindex A P (Summary)
7967 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7968 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7969 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7970 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7971 run just before printing the buffer.
7976 @node Summary Sorting
7977 @section Summary Sorting
7978 @cindex summary sorting
7980 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7981 can't really see why you'd want that.
7986 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7987 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7988 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7991 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7992 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7993 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7996 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7997 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7998 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8001 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8002 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8003 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8006 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8007 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8008 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8011 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8012 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8013 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8016 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8017 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8018 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8021 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8022 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8023 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8024 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8025 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8029 @node Finding the Parent
8030 @section Finding the Parent
8031 @cindex parent articles
8032 @cindex referring articles
8037 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8038 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8039 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8040 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8041 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8042 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8043 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8044 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8045 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8047 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8048 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8049 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8050 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8051 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8055 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8056 @kindex A R (Summary)
8057 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8058 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8061 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8062 @kindex A T (Summary)
8063 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8064 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8065 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8066 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8067 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8068 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8069 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8071 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8072 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8073 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8074 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8075 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8076 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8079 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8080 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8082 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8083 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8084 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8085 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8086 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8087 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8088 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8091 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8092 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8093 by giving this command a prefix.
8095 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8096 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8097 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8098 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8099 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8100 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8103 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8104 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8105 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8108 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8109 then ask Deja if that fails:
8112 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8114 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8117 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8118 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8119 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8120 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8121 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8122 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8125 @node Alternative Approaches
8126 @section Alternative Approaches
8128 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8129 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8132 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8133 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8138 @subsection Pick and Read
8139 @cindex pick and read
8141 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8142 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8143 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8144 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8146 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8147 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8148 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8149 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8150 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8151 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8153 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8158 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8159 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8160 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8161 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8162 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8163 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8164 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8165 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8168 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8169 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8170 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8171 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8175 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8176 Unpick the thread or article
8177 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8178 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8179 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8180 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8181 the thread or article at that line.
8185 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8186 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8187 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8188 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8189 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8190 will still be visible when you are reading.
8194 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8195 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8196 which is mapped to the same function
8197 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8199 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8202 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8205 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8206 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8208 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8209 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8210 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8212 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8213 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8214 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8215 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8216 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8217 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8218 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8222 @subsection Binary Groups
8223 @cindex binary groups
8225 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8226 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8227 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8228 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8229 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8230 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8231 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8234 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8235 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8236 command, when you have turned on this mode
8237 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8239 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8240 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8244 @section Tree Display
8247 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8248 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8249 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8250 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8253 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8256 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8257 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8258 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8260 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8261 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8262 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8263 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8264 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8266 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8267 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8268 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8269 default is @code{modeline}.
8271 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8272 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8273 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8274 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8275 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8276 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8277 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8283 The name of the poster.
8285 The @code{From} header.
8287 The number of the article.
8289 The opening bracket.
8291 The closing bracket.
8296 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8298 Variables related to the display are:
8301 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8302 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8303 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8304 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8305 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8306 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8308 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8309 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8310 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8311 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8315 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8316 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8317 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8318 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8319 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8320 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8321 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8322 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8323 other windows displayed next to it.
8325 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8326 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8327 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8328 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8329 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8330 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8331 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8335 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8338 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8348 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8352 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8353 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8355 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8357 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8362 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8363 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8364 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8367 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8368 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8369 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8370 (gnus-add-configuration
8374 (summary 0.75 point)
8379 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8382 @node Mail Group Commands
8383 @section Mail Group Commands
8384 @cindex mail group commands
8386 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8387 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8389 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8390 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8395 @kindex B e (Summary)
8396 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8397 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8398 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8401 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8402 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8403 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8404 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8405 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8406 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8409 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8410 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8411 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8412 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8413 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8414 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8417 @kindex B m (Summary)
8419 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8420 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8421 Move the article from one mail group to another
8422 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8423 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8426 @kindex B c (Summary)
8428 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8429 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8430 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8431 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8432 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8435 @kindex B B (Summary)
8436 @cindex crosspost mail
8437 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8438 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8439 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8440 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8441 be properly updated.
8444 @kindex B i (Summary)
8445 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8446 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8447 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8448 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8451 @kindex B r (Summary)
8452 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8453 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8454 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8455 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8456 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8457 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8458 (which is the default).
8462 @kindex B w (Summary)
8464 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8465 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8466 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8467 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8468 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8469 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8472 @kindex B q (Summary)
8473 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8474 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8475 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8476 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8479 @kindex B t (Summary)
8480 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8481 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8482 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8485 @kindex B p (Summary)
8486 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8487 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8488 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8489 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8490 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8491 article from your news server (or rather, from
8492 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8493 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8494 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8495 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8496 just not have arrived yet.
8500 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8501 @cindex moving articles
8502 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
8503 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8504 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8505 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8506 suggestions you find reasonable.
8509 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8510 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8511 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8512 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8516 @node Various Summary Stuff
8517 @section Various Summary Stuff
8520 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8521 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8522 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8523 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8527 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8528 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8529 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8531 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8532 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8533 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8534 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8535 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8536 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8539 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8540 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8541 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8542 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8543 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8545 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8546 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8547 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8550 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8551 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8552 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8553 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8554 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8555 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8556 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
8557 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8558 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8559 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8561 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8562 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8563 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8564 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8565 list of articles to be selected.
8567 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8568 the list in one particular group:
8571 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8572 (if (string= group "some.group")
8573 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8580 @node Summary Group Information
8581 @subsection Summary Group Information
8586 @kindex H f (Summary)
8587 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8588 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8589 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8590 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8591 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8592 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8593 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8594 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8595 be used for fetching the file.
8598 @kindex H d (Summary)
8599 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8600 Give a brief description of the current group
8601 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8602 rereading the description from the server.
8605 @kindex H h (Summary)
8606 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8607 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8608 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8611 @kindex H i (Summary)
8612 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8613 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8617 @node Searching for Articles
8618 @subsection Searching for Articles
8623 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8624 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8625 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8626 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8629 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8630 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8631 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8632 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8636 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8637 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8638 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8639 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8640 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8641 search backward instead.
8643 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8644 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8647 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8648 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8649 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8650 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8653 @node Summary Generation Commands
8654 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8659 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8660 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8661 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8664 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8665 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8666 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8667 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8672 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8673 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8679 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8680 @kindex A D (Summary)
8681 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8682 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8683 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8684 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8685 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8686 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8687 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8688 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8692 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8693 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8694 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8695 several documents into one biiig group
8696 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8697 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8698 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8699 command understands the process/prefix convention
8700 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8703 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8704 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8705 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8706 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8707 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8708 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8712 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8713 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8714 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8717 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8718 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8719 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8720 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8723 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8724 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8725 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8726 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8731 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8732 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8733 @cindex summary exit
8734 @cindex exiting groups
8736 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8737 group and return you to the group buffer.
8743 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8745 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8746 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8747 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8748 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8749 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8750 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8751 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8752 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8753 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8754 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8755 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8759 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8761 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8762 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8763 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8767 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8769 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8770 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8771 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8772 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8775 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8776 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8777 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8778 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8781 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8782 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8783 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8784 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8787 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8788 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8789 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8790 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8791 all articles, both read and unread.
8795 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8796 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8797 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8798 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8799 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8800 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8801 articles, both read and unread.
8804 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8805 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8806 Exit the group and go to the next group
8807 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8810 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8811 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8812 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8813 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8816 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8817 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8818 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8819 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8820 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8821 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8824 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8825 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8826 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8827 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8829 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8830 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8831 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8832 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8833 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8834 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8835 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8836 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8837 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8838 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8839 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8840 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8842 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8844 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8845 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8846 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8847 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8848 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8849 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8850 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8851 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8852 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8855 @node Crosspost Handling
8856 @section Crosspost Handling
8860 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8861 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8862 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8863 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8864 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8865 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8868 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8869 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8870 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8871 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8872 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8874 @cindex cross-posting
8877 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8878 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8879 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8880 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8881 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8882 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8883 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8884 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8885 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8886 the cross reference mechanism.
8888 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8889 @cindex overview.fmt
8890 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8891 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8892 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8893 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8894 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8895 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8898 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8899 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8900 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8905 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8908 @node Duplicate Suppression
8909 @section Duplicate Suppression
8911 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8912 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8913 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8914 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8919 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8920 is evil and not very common.
8923 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8924 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8927 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8928 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8931 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8934 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8935 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8937 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8938 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8939 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8940 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8941 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8942 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8943 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8946 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
8947 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
8948 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
8949 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
8950 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
8954 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
8955 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
8956 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8958 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8959 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8960 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8961 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8962 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
8963 session are suppressed.
8965 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8966 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8967 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8968 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8970 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8971 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8972 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8973 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8976 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
8977 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8978 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8979 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8980 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
8981 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8982 to you to figure out, I think.
8985 @node The Article Buffer
8986 @chapter The Article Buffer
8987 @cindex article buffer
8989 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8990 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8991 tell Gnus otherwise.
8994 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8995 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
8996 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8997 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8998 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9002 @node Hiding Headers
9003 @section Hiding Headers
9004 @cindex hiding headers
9005 @cindex deleting headers
9007 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9008 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9010 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9011 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9012 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9013 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9014 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9015 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9016 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9017 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9018 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9020 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9024 @item gnus-visible-headers
9025 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9026 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9027 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9028 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9030 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9031 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9034 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9037 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9040 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9041 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9042 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9043 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9044 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9045 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9047 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9048 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9051 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9054 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9057 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9058 variable will have no effect.
9062 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9063 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9064 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9065 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9066 the headers are to be displayed.
9068 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9069 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9072 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9075 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9076 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9078 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9079 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9080 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9081 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-header} to @code{head}. What this function
9082 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9083 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9084 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9087 These conditions are:
9090 Remove all empty headers.
9092 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9093 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9095 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9098 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9101 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9104 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9106 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9109 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9112 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9113 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9116 This is also the default value for this variable.
9120 @section Using @sc{mime}
9123 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9124 while people stand around yawning.
9126 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9127 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9129 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9130 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9131 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9133 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9134 @findex gnus-display-mime
9135 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9136 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9137 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9138 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9140 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9144 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9146 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9147 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9148 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9150 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9151 @item M-RET (Article)
9153 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9154 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9156 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9158 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9159 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9161 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9163 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9164 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9166 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9168 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9169 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9171 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9173 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9175 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9177 Insert the raw contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9178 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}).
9182 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9183 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9186 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9187 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9188 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9189 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9190 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9191 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9192 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9193 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9194 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9196 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9198 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9201 @node Customizing Articles
9202 @section Customizing Articles
9203 @cindex article customization
9205 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9206 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9207 called automatically when you select the articles.
9209 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9210 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9211 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9212 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9214 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9215 for sensible values.
9219 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9222 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9225 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9228 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9231 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9235 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9236 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9237 regexps in the list.
9240 A list where the first element is not a string:
9242 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9243 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9244 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9248 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9253 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9254 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9255 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9256 considered to contain just a single part.
9258 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9259 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9260 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9261 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9262 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9263 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9264 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9266 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9267 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9268 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9269 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9272 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9273 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9274 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9275 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9276 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9277 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9278 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9279 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9280 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9281 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9282 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9283 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9284 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9285 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9286 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9287 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9288 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9289 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9290 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9291 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9292 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9293 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9294 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9295 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9296 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9297 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9298 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9299 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9300 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9301 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9302 @item gnus-treat-translate
9305 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9306 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9307 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9308 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9309 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9313 @node Article Keymap
9314 @section Article Keymap
9316 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9317 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9318 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9319 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9322 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9327 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9328 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9329 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9332 @kindex DEL (Article)
9333 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9334 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9337 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9338 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9339 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9340 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9341 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9344 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9345 @findex gnus-article-mail
9346 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9347 given a prefix, include the mail.
9351 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9352 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9353 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9357 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9358 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9359 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9362 @kindex TAB (Article)
9363 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9364 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9365 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9368 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9369 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9370 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9376 @section Misc Article
9380 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9381 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9382 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9383 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9386 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9387 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9389 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9390 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9392 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9393 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9394 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9395 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9396 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9397 the contents of the article buffer.
9399 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9400 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9401 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9403 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9404 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9405 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9406 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9408 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9409 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9410 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9411 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9412 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9417 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9418 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9421 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9424 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9426 @item gnus-break-pages
9427 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9428 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9429 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9430 paging will not be done.
9432 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9433 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9434 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9439 @node Composing Messages
9440 @chapter Composing Messages
9441 @cindex composing messages
9444 @cindex sending mail
9449 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9450 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9451 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9452 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9453 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9454 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9457 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9458 * Post:: Posting and following up.
9459 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9460 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9461 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9462 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9463 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9464 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9467 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9468 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9474 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9477 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9478 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9479 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9480 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9482 @item gnus-add-to-list
9483 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9484 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9485 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9487 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
9488 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
9489 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial.
9490 The lower bound of message size in characters, beyond which the message
9491 should be sent in several parts. If it is nil, the size is unlimited.
9499 Variables for composing news articles:
9502 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9503 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9504 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
9505 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
9506 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
9507 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
9508 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
9509 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
9510 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
9513 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9514 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9515 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
9516 file. It is 1000 by default.
9521 @node Posting Server
9522 @section Posting Server
9524 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9525 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9527 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9529 @vindex gnus-post-method
9531 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
9532 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9533 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9534 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9535 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9538 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9541 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9542 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9543 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9544 the ``current'' server for posting.
9546 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9547 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9549 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9550 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9553 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9554 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9555 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9560 @section Mail and Post
9562 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9566 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9567 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9568 @cindex mailing lists
9570 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9571 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9572 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9573 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9574 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9575 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9576 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9577 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9578 still a pain, though.
9582 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9583 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9584 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9587 @findex ispell-message
9589 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9592 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9593 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9596 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9599 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9600 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9602 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9605 Modify to suit your needs.
9608 @node Archived Messages
9609 @section Archived Messages
9610 @cindex archived messages
9611 @cindex sent messages
9613 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9614 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9615 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9616 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9619 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9620 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
9621 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9625 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9626 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9627 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9628 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9631 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9632 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
9633 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9634 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9637 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9638 '(nnfolder "archive"
9639 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9640 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9641 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9644 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9646 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9647 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9648 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9650 This variable can be used to do the following:
9654 Messages will be saved in that group.
9655 @item a list of strings
9656 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9657 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9658 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9660 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9665 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9667 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9670 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9672 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9675 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9677 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9678 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9679 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9680 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9685 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9686 '((if (message-news-p)
9691 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9692 messages in one file per month:
9695 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9696 '((if (message-news-p)
9698 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9701 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9702 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9704 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9705 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9706 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9707 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9708 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9709 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9710 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9711 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9712 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9713 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9715 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9716 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9717 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9718 this will disable archiving.
9721 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9722 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9723 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9724 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9725 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9728 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9729 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9730 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9733 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9734 but the latter is the preferred method.
9738 @node Posting Styles
9739 @section Posting Styles
9740 @cindex posting styles
9743 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9745 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9746 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9747 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9750 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9751 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9752 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9753 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9754 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9759 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9760 (organization "What me?"))
9762 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9763 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9764 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9767 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9768 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9769 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9770 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9771 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9772 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9773 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9774 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9776 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9777 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9778 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9779 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9780 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9781 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9782 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9783 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9786 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9787 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9788 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9789 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9790 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9791 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9792 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
9793 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
9794 result is thrown away.
9796 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9797 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9798 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9799 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9800 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9801 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9803 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9804 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9805 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9807 @findex message-mail-p
9808 @findex message-news-p
9810 So here's a new example:
9813 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9815 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9817 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9818 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9820 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9821 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9822 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9824 (signature my-news-signature))
9825 (header "From.*To" "larsi.*org"
9826 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9827 ((posting-from-work-p)
9828 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9829 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9830 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9831 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9833 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9841 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9842 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9843 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9844 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9845 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9847 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9848 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9849 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9850 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9851 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9855 @vindex nndraft-directory
9856 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9857 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9858 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9859 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9860 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9861 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9863 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9864 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9867 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9868 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9869 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9870 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9871 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9872 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9873 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9874 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9875 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9876 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9877 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9878 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9879 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9880 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9882 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9883 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9884 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9886 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9888 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9889 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9890 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9892 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9895 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9896 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9897 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
9898 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
9899 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
9900 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
9901 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
9904 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
9905 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
9906 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
9909 @node Rejected Articles
9910 @section Rejected Articles
9911 @cindex rejected articles
9913 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
9914 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
9915 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
9916 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
9918 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
9919 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
9920 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
9921 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
9922 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
9924 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
9925 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
9926 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
9929 @node Select Methods
9930 @chapter Select Methods
9931 @cindex foreign groups
9932 @cindex select methods
9934 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
9935 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
9936 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
9937 personal mail group.
9939 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
9940 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
9941 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
9942 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
9943 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
9944 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
9946 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
9947 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
9949 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
9952 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
9953 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
9954 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
9955 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
9956 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
9958 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
9961 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
9962 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
9963 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
9964 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
9965 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
9966 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
9967 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
9971 @node The Server Buffer
9972 @section The Server Buffer
9974 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
9975 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
9976 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
9977 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
9978 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
9979 backend represents a virtual server.
9981 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
9982 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
9983 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
9984 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
9986 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
9987 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
9988 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
9989 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
9990 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
9991 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
9992 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
9994 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
9995 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
9998 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
9999 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10000 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10001 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10002 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10003 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10004 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10007 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10008 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10011 @node Server Buffer Format
10012 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10013 @cindex server buffer format
10015 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10016 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10017 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10018 variable, with some simple extensions:
10023 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10026 The name of this server.
10029 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10032 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10035 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10036 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10037 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10038 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10048 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10051 @node Server Commands
10052 @subsection Server Commands
10053 @cindex server commands
10059 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10060 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10064 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10065 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10068 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10069 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10070 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10074 @findex gnus-server-exit
10075 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10079 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10080 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10084 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10085 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10089 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10090 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10094 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10095 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10099 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10100 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10101 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10106 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10107 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10108 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10109 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
10114 @node Example Methods
10115 @subsection Example Methods
10117 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10120 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10123 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10129 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10130 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10133 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10134 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10136 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10137 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10141 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10144 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10145 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10147 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10148 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10149 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10153 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10156 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10159 Here's the method for a public spool:
10163 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10164 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10170 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10171 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10172 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10173 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10174 should probably look something like this:
10178 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10179 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10180 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10181 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10182 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10185 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10186 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10187 server that would look something like this:
10191 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10192 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10193 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10194 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10195 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10196 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10199 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10200 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10201 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10202 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10205 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10206 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10208 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10209 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10211 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10212 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10213 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10215 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10217 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10218 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10219 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10220 will contain the following:
10230 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10231 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10232 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10235 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10236 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10237 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10240 @node Server Variables
10241 @subsection Server Variables
10243 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10244 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10245 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10246 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10247 won't change the "derived" variables.
10249 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10250 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10251 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10252 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10253 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10254 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10255 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10256 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10257 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10261 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10262 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10263 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10267 @node Servers and Methods
10268 @subsection Servers and Methods
10270 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10271 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10272 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10273 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10277 @node Unavailable Servers
10278 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10280 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10281 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10282 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10283 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10284 actually the case or not.
10286 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10287 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10288 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10289 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10290 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10291 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10292 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10293 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10295 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10296 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10298 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10299 with the following commands:
10305 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10306 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10307 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10311 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10312 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10313 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10317 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10318 Mark the current server as unreachable
10319 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10322 @kindex M-o (Server)
10323 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10324 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10325 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10328 @kindex M-c (Server)
10329 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10330 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10331 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10335 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10336 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10337 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10343 @section Getting News
10344 @cindex reading news
10345 @cindex news backends
10347 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10348 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10349 or it can read from a local spool.
10352 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10353 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10358 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10361 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10362 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10363 server as the, uhm, address.
10365 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10366 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10367 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10368 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10370 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10371 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10372 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10374 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10379 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10380 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10381 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10383 @cindex authentification
10384 @cindex nntp authentification
10385 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10386 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10387 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10388 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10389 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10390 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10391 present in this hook.
10393 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10394 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10395 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10396 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10397 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10398 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10399 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10400 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10401 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10402 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10403 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10404 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10408 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10411 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
10412 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10413 @samp{default}, @samp{port} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a
10414 valid @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is almost the only way the
10415 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
10420 Here's an example file:
10423 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10424 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10427 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10428 have to be first, for instance.
10430 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10431 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10432 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10433 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10434 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10435 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10436 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10438 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10439 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10445 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10446 previously mentioned.
10448 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10450 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10451 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10452 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10453 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10454 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10457 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10458 '(("innd" (ding))))
10461 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10463 The default value is
10466 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10467 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10470 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10471 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10473 @item nntp-maximum-request
10474 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10475 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10476 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10477 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10478 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10479 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10480 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10482 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10483 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10484 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10485 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10486 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10487 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10488 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10489 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10490 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10491 no timeouts are done.
10493 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10494 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10495 @c @cindex PPP connections
10496 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10497 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10498 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10499 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10500 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10501 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10502 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10503 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10504 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10505 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10507 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10508 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10509 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10510 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10511 @c described above.
10513 @item nntp-server-hook
10514 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10515 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10518 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10519 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10520 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10521 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10522 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10523 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10524 functions are supplied:
10527 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10528 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10531 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10532 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10533 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10536 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10540 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10541 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10542 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10543 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10545 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10546 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10547 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10549 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10550 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10551 User name on the remote system.
10555 @item nntp-open-telnet
10556 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10557 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10559 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10562 @item nntp-telnet-command
10563 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10564 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10566 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10567 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10568 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10570 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10571 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10572 User name for log in on the remote system.
10574 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10575 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10576 Password to use when logging in.
10578 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10579 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10580 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10583 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10584 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10585 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10586 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10588 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10589 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10590 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10591 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10592 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10596 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10597 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10598 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10599 you must have SSLay installed
10600 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10601 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
10602 define a server as follows:
10605 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10607 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10609 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10610 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10611 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10612 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10617 @item nntp-end-of-line
10618 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10619 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10620 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10621 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10623 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10624 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10625 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10629 @vindex nntp-address
10630 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10632 @item nntp-port-number
10633 @vindex nntp-port-number
10634 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10637 @item nntp-buggy-select
10638 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10639 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10641 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10642 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10643 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10644 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10647 @item nntp-xover-commands
10648 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10651 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10652 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10656 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10657 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10658 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10659 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10660 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10661 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10662 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10663 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10664 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10665 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10666 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10668 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10669 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10670 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10672 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10673 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10674 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10675 server closes connection.
10677 @item nntp-record-commands
10678 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10679 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10680 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10681 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10682 that doesn't seem to work.
10688 @subsection News Spool
10692 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10693 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10694 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10697 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10698 anything else) as the address.
10700 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10701 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10702 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10703 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10707 @item nnspool-inews-program
10708 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10709 Program used to post an article.
10711 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10712 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10713 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10715 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10716 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10717 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10718 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10720 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10721 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10722 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10723 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10725 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10726 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10727 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10729 @item nnspool-active-file
10730 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10731 The path to the active file.
10733 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10734 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10735 The path to the group descriptions file.
10737 @item nnspool-history-file
10738 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10739 The path to the news history file.
10741 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10742 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10743 The path to the active date file.
10745 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10746 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10747 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10750 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10751 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10753 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10754 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10755 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10761 @section Getting Mail
10762 @cindex reading mail
10765 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10769 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10770 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10771 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10772 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10773 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10774 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10775 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10776 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10777 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10778 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10779 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10780 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10781 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10785 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10786 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10788 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10789 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10790 of a culture shock.
10792 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10793 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10795 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10796 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10797 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10798 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10800 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10802 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10803 deleted? How awful!
10805 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10806 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10807 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10808 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10811 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10812 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10813 they want to treat a message.
10815 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10816 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10817 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10818 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
10819 archived somewhere else.
10821 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
10822 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
10823 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
10824 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
10825 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
10827 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
10828 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
10829 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
10831 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
10832 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
10835 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
10836 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
10837 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
10838 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
10839 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
10841 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
10842 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
10843 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
10844 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
10845 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
10846 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
10850 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
10851 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
10853 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
10854 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
10855 and things will happen automatically.
10857 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
10858 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
10861 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
10862 '((nnml "private")))
10865 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
10866 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
10867 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
10868 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
10869 like any other group.
10871 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
10874 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10875 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10876 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10880 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
10881 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
10882 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
10885 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
10886 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
10887 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
10890 @node Splitting Mail
10891 @subsection Splitting Mail
10892 @cindex splitting mail
10893 @cindex mail splitting
10895 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
10896 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
10897 to be split into groups.
10900 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10901 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10902 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10903 ("mail.other" "")))
10906 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
10907 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
10908 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
10909 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
10910 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
10911 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
10912 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
10915 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
10918 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
10919 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
10920 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
10921 mail belongs in that group.
10923 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
10924 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
10925 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
10926 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
10927 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
10928 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
10930 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
10931 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
10932 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
10933 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
10934 thinks should carry this mail message.
10936 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
10937 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
10938 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
10939 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
10941 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
10942 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
10943 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
10944 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
10945 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
10947 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
10950 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
10951 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
10952 links. If that's the case for you, set
10953 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
10954 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
10956 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
10957 @kindex nnmail-split-history
10958 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
10959 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
10960 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
10961 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
10964 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
10965 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
10966 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
10967 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
10968 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
10969 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
10970 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
10971 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
10972 month's rent money.
10976 @subsection Mail Sources
10978 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
10979 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
10983 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
10984 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
10985 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
10989 @node Mail Source Specifiers
10990 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
10992 @cindex mail server
10995 @cindex mail source
10997 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
10998 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11003 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11006 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11007 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11008 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11011 The following mail source types are available:
11015 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11021 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11022 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11025 An example file mail source:
11028 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11031 Or using the default path:
11037 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11038 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11039 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11042 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11046 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11049 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11053 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11056 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11058 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11061 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11065 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11066 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11067 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil force Gnus to
11068 scan the mail source only once.
11074 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11078 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11082 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11083 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11084 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11085 predicate are considered.
11089 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11093 An example directory mail source:
11096 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11101 Get mail from a POP server.
11107 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11108 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11111 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11112 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11113 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11114 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}.
11117 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11121 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11125 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
11126 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11129 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11132 The valid format specifier characters are:
11136 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11137 included in this string.
11140 The name of the server.
11143 The port number of the server.
11146 The user name to use.
11149 The password to use.
11152 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11153 corresponding keywords.
11156 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11157 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11160 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11161 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11164 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11165 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11168 @item :authentication
11169 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11170 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11175 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11176 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11178 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11179 default user name, and default fetcher:
11185 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11188 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11189 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11192 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11195 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11199 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11200 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11201 contains exactly one mail.
11207 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11208 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11211 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11212 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11214 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11215 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11216 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11219 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11220 from locking problems).
11224 Two example maildir mail sources:
11227 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/" :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11231 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/" :subdirs ("new"))
11235 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as
11236 intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some
11237 reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and
11238 fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
11244 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11245 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11248 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11249 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11252 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11256 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11260 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11261 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11262 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11264 @item :authentication
11265 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11266 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11267 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11271 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11272 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11275 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11276 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11277 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11278 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11279 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11280 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11283 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{Deleted}
11284 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{Seen} which
11285 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11286 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11289 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11290 after finishing the fetch.
11294 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11297 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11301 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11302 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11304 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11307 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11308 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11310 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11316 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11317 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11320 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11324 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11328 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11329 folder after finishing the fetch.
11333 An example webmail source:
11336 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11341 @item Common Keywords
11342 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11348 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11349 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11353 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11358 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11359 useful when you use local mail and news.
11364 @node Mail Source Customization
11365 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11367 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11368 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11372 @item mail-source-crash-box
11373 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11374 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11375 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11377 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11378 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11379 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11381 @item mail-source-directory
11382 @vindex mail-source-directory
11383 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11384 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11385 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11388 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11389 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11390 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11395 @node Fetching Mail
11396 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11398 @vindex mail-sources
11399 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11400 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11401 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11402 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11404 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11405 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11408 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11409 mail server, you'd say something like:
11414 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11415 :password "secret")))
11418 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11422 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11423 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11426 :password "secret")))
11430 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11431 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11432 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11433 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11434 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11435 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11439 @node Mail Backend Variables
11440 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11442 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11446 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11447 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11448 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11449 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11451 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11452 @item nnmail-split-hook
11453 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11454 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
11455 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
11456 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11457 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11458 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11459 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11460 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11461 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11464 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11465 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11466 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11467 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11468 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11469 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11470 starting to handle the new mail) and
11471 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11472 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11473 default file modes the new mail files get:
11476 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11477 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11479 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11480 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11483 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11484 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11485 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11486 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11487 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11488 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11489 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11491 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11492 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11493 @findex delete-file
11494 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11496 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11497 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11498 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11499 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11500 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11505 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11506 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11507 @cindex mail splitting
11508 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11510 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11511 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11512 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11513 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11514 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11515 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11517 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11520 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11521 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11522 ;; from real errors.
11523 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11525 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11526 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11527 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11528 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11529 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11530 ;; Other mailing lists...
11531 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11532 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11533 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11534 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11535 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11536 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11537 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11538 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11540 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11541 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11545 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11546 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11547 the five possible split syntaxes:
11552 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11553 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11557 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11558 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11559 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11560 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11561 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11562 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11563 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11564 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11567 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11568 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11569 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11570 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11573 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11574 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11577 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11578 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11581 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11582 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11583 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11584 function should return a @var{split}.
11587 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11588 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11589 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11593 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11597 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11598 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11599 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11600 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11601 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11603 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11604 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11605 are expanded as specified by the variable
11606 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11607 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11610 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11611 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11612 when all this splitting is performed.
11614 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11615 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11616 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11619 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11622 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11623 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11625 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11626 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11627 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11628 groupings 1 through 9.
11631 @node Group Mail Splitting
11632 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11633 @cindex mail splitting
11634 @cindex group mail splitting
11636 @findex gnus-group-split
11637 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11638 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11639 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11640 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11641 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11642 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11643 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11644 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11646 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11647 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11648 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11649 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11651 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11652 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11653 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11654 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11655 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11656 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11657 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11659 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11660 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11661 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11662 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11663 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11664 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11665 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11667 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11668 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11669 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11670 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11671 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11672 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11673 that group is used as the catch-all group. Note that, in this case,
11674 there's no cross-posting, as a @code{|} fancy split encloses the
11675 @code{&} split and the catch-all group.
11677 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11682 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11683 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11685 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11686 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11687 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11688 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11690 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11693 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11694 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
11695 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
11698 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
11699 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
11700 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11704 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11705 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11706 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11710 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11713 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11714 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11715 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11716 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} may be the name
11717 of a group to be used as the default catch-all group. If
11718 @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11719 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11720 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11721 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11723 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11724 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11725 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11726 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
11727 used to select @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
11728 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
11729 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
11730 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
11731 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
11733 @findex gnus-group-split-update
11734 However, if you change group parameters, you have to update
11735 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
11736 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
11737 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
11738 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
11741 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
11744 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
11745 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
11746 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
11747 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional),
11748 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
11751 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
11752 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
11753 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
11754 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
11756 @node Incorporating Old Mail
11757 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
11759 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
11760 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
11761 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
11764 Doing so can be quite easy.
11766 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
11767 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
11768 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
11769 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
11770 your @code{nnml} groups.
11776 Go to the group buffer.
11779 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
11780 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11783 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
11786 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
11787 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11790 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
11791 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
11794 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
11795 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
11796 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
11797 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
11798 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
11800 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
11801 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
11802 using the new mail backend.
11805 @node Expiring Mail
11806 @subsection Expiring Mail
11807 @cindex article expiry
11809 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
11810 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
11811 different approach to mail reading.
11813 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
11814 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
11815 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
11816 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
11817 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
11818 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
11821 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
11822 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
11823 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
11824 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
11825 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
11826 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
11827 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
11828 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
11830 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11831 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
11832 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
11833 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
11834 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
11835 column in the summary buffer.
11837 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
11838 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
11839 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
11840 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
11843 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
11845 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
11846 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
11847 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
11850 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
11851 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
11852 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
11853 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
11854 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
11856 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
11857 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
11860 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11861 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
11864 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
11865 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
11867 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
11868 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
11869 don't really mix very well.
11871 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
11872 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
11873 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
11874 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
11877 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
11878 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
11879 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
11880 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
11883 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11885 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11887 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
11889 ((string= group "mail.junk")
11891 ((string= group "important")
11897 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
11898 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
11900 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
11901 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
11902 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
11905 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
11906 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
11908 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
11909 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
11910 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
11911 other groups instead of deleting them. The @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
11912 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
11913 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
11914 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
11915 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
11916 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
11917 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
11920 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
11921 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
11922 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
11923 easier for procmail users.
11925 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
11926 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
11927 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
11928 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
11929 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
11930 caution. Even more dangerous is the
11931 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
11932 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
11933 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
11934 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
11935 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
11936 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
11937 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
11940 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
11942 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
11943 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
11944 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
11945 auto-expire turned on.
11949 @subsection Washing Mail
11950 @cindex mail washing
11951 @cindex list server brain damage
11952 @cindex incoming mail treatment
11954 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
11955 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
11956 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
11957 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
11958 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
11959 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
11961 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
11962 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
11963 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
11966 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
11967 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
11968 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
11969 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
11972 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11973 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11974 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
11975 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
11976 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
11979 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11980 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11981 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
11982 Emacs running on MS machines.
11986 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11987 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11988 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
11989 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
11992 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11993 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11994 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
11995 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
11997 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11998 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11999 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12000 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12001 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12002 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12003 also be a list of regexp.
12005 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12006 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12009 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12010 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12013 This can also be done non-destructively with
12014 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12016 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12017 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12018 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12020 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12021 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12023 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12024 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12025 @code{References} headers.
12029 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12030 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12031 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12035 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12036 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12037 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12044 @subsection Duplicates
12046 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12047 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12048 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12049 @cindex duplicate mails
12050 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12051 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12052 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12053 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12054 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12055 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12056 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12057 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12058 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12059 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12060 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12061 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12062 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12064 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12065 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12066 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12067 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12069 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12072 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12073 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12077 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12078 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12079 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
12080 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12081 (any mail "mail.misc")
12088 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12089 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
12094 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12095 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12096 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12097 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12098 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12101 @node Not Reading Mail
12102 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12104 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12105 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12106 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12108 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12109 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12110 mail, which should help.
12112 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12113 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12114 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12115 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12116 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12117 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12118 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12119 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12120 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12121 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12122 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12124 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12125 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12129 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12130 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12132 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12133 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12134 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12136 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12137 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12138 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12139 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12142 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12143 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12144 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12145 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12146 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12147 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12151 @node Unix Mail Box
12152 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12154 @cindex unix mail box
12156 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12157 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12158 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12159 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12160 which group it belongs in.
12162 Virtual server settings:
12165 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12166 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12167 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12169 @item nnmbox-active-file
12170 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12171 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12173 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12174 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12175 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12181 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12185 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12186 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12187 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12188 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12189 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12191 Virtual server settings:
12194 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12195 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12196 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12198 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12199 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12200 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12202 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12203 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12204 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12209 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12211 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12213 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12214 format. It should be used with some caution.
12216 @vindex nnml-directory
12217 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12218 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12219 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12220 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12222 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12225 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12226 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12227 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12228 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12229 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12230 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12231 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12232 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12234 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12235 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12236 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12237 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12239 Virtual server settings:
12242 @item nnml-directory
12243 @vindex nnml-directory
12244 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12246 @item nnml-active-file
12247 @vindex nnml-active-file
12248 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12250 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12251 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12252 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12255 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12256 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12257 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12259 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12260 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12261 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12263 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12264 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12265 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12267 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12268 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12269 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12273 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12274 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12275 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12276 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12277 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12278 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12279 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12284 @subsubsection MH Spool
12286 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12288 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12289 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12290 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12291 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12293 Virtual server settings:
12296 @item nnmh-directory
12297 @vindex nnmh-directory
12298 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12300 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12301 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12302 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12305 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12306 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12307 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12308 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12309 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12310 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12311 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12316 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12318 @cindex mbox folders
12319 @cindex mail folders
12321 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12322 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12323 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12326 Virtual server settings:
12329 @item nnfolder-directory
12330 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12331 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12333 @item nnfolder-active-file
12334 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12335 The name of the active file.
12337 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12338 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12339 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12341 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12342 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12343 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12345 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12346 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12347 @cindex backup files
12348 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12349 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12350 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12351 your @file{.emacs} file:
12354 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12355 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12357 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12360 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12361 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12362 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12363 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12364 extract some information from it before removing it.
12369 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12370 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12371 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12372 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12373 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12374 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12377 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12378 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12380 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12381 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12382 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12383 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12384 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12386 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12387 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12388 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12389 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12390 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12391 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12392 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12393 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12396 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12397 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12398 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12399 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12404 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12405 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12406 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12407 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12408 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12409 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12410 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12411 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12412 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12413 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12414 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12415 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12416 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12421 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12422 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12423 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12424 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12425 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12426 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12427 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12428 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12429 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12430 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12431 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12432 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12433 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12434 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12436 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12437 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12442 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12443 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12444 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12445 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12446 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12447 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12448 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12449 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12450 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12451 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12452 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12453 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12454 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12455 provided by the active file and overviews.
12457 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12458 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12459 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12460 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12461 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12464 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12465 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12470 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12471 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12472 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12473 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12474 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12475 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12476 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12480 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12481 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12482 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12483 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12484 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12485 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12486 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12487 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12488 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12490 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12491 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12492 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12493 friendly mail backend all over.
12498 @node Browsing the Web
12499 @section Browsing the Web
12501 @cindex browsing the web
12505 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12506 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12507 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12508 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12509 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12510 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12511 even know what a news group is.
12513 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12514 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12515 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12516 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12517 you mad in the end.
12519 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12522 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12523 interfaces to these sources.
12526 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12527 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12528 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12529 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12530 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12533 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12535 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12536 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12537 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12538 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12539 though, you should be ok.
12541 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12542 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12543 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12544 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12545 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12549 @subsection Web Searches
12553 @cindex InReference
12554 @cindex Usenet searches
12555 @cindex searching the Usenet
12557 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12558 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12559 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12560 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12561 searches without having to use a browser.
12563 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12564 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12565 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12566 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12567 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12569 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12570 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12571 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12572 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12573 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12574 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12575 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12576 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12577 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12578 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12581 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12582 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12583 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12584 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12585 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12586 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12588 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12589 to use @code{nnweb}.
12591 Virtual server variables:
12596 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12597 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12601 @vindex nnweb-search
12602 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12604 @item nnweb-max-hits
12605 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12606 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12609 @item nnweb-type-definition
12610 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12611 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12612 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12617 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12621 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12624 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12627 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12631 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12638 @subsection Slashdot
12642 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12643 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12644 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12646 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12647 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12650 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12651 '((nnslashdot "")))
12654 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12655 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12656 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12657 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12658 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12661 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12662 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12664 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12665 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12666 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12667 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12668 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12669 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12672 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12675 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12676 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12677 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12678 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12679 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12680 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12681 but much, much slower than untreaded.
12683 @item nnslashdot-login-name
12684 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
12685 The login name to use when posting.
12687 @item nnslashdot-password
12688 @vindex nnslashdot-password
12689 The password to use when posting.
12691 @item nnslashdot-directory
12692 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
12693 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
12694 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
12696 @item nnslashdot-active-url
12697 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
12698 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
12699 news articles and comments. The default is
12700 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
12702 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
12703 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
12704 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
12706 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
12708 @item nnslashdot-article-url
12709 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
12710 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
12712 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
12714 @item nnslashdot-threshold
12715 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
12716 The score threshold. The default is -1.
12718 @item nnslashdot-group-number
12719 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
12720 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
12721 updated. The default is 0.
12728 @subsection Ultimate
12730 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
12732 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
12733 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
12734 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
12735 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
12737 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
12738 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
12739 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
12740 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
12741 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
12742 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
12743 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
12745 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
12748 @item nnultimate-directory
12749 @vindex nnultimate-directory
12750 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
12751 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
12756 @subsection Web Archive
12758 @cindex Web Archive
12760 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
12761 @file{http://www.egroups.com/} and
12762 @file{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
12763 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
12766 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
12767 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
12768 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
12769 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
12770 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
12771 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
12772 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
12774 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
12777 @item nnwarchive-directory
12778 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
12779 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
12780 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
12782 @item nnwarchive-login
12783 @vindex nnwarchive-login
12784 The account name on the web server.
12786 @item nnwarchive-passwd
12787 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
12788 The password for your account on the web server.
12792 @node Customizing w3
12793 @subsection Customizing w3
12799 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
12800 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
12801 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
12803 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
12804 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
12805 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
12808 (eval-after-load "w3"
12810 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
12811 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
12812 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
12813 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
12815 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
12818 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
12819 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
12823 @node Other Sources
12824 @section Other Sources
12826 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
12827 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
12831 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
12832 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
12833 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
12834 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
12835 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
12836 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
12840 @node Directory Groups
12841 @subsection Directory Groups
12843 @cindex directory groups
12845 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
12846 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
12849 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
12850 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
12851 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
12852 backend to read directories. Big deal.
12854 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
12855 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
12856 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
12857 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
12858 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
12860 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
12862 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
12863 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
12864 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
12865 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
12868 @node Anything Groups
12869 @subsection Anything Groups
12872 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
12873 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
12874 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
12877 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
12878 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
12879 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
12880 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
12881 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
12882 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
12883 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
12884 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
12885 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
12886 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
12889 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
12890 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
12891 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
12892 in the article buffer, just as usual.
12894 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
12895 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
12896 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
12897 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
12899 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
12900 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
12901 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
12902 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
12903 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
12904 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
12905 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
12906 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
12911 @item nneething-map-file-directory
12912 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
12913 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
12914 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
12916 @item nneething-exclude-files
12917 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
12918 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
12919 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
12921 @item nneething-include-files
12922 @vindex nneething-include-files
12923 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
12924 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
12926 @item nneething-map-file
12927 @vindex nneething-map-file
12928 Name of the map files.
12932 @node Document Groups
12933 @subsection Document Groups
12935 @cindex documentation group
12938 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
12939 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
12946 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
12951 The standard Unix mbox file.
12953 @cindex MMDF mail box
12955 The MMDF mail box format.
12958 Several news articles appended into a file.
12961 @cindex rnews batch files
12962 The rnews batch transport format.
12963 @cindex forwarded messages
12966 Forwarded articles.
12969 Netscape mail boxes.
12972 MIME multipart messages.
12974 @item standard-digest
12975 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
12978 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
12981 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
12982 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
12983 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
12986 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
12987 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
12988 group. And that's it.
12990 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
12991 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
12992 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
12993 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
12994 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
12995 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
12996 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
12997 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
12998 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
12999 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13001 Virtual server variables:
13004 @item nndoc-article-type
13005 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13006 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13007 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13008 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13009 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13011 @item nndoc-post-type
13012 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13013 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13014 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13019 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13023 @node Document Server Internals
13024 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13026 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13027 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13028 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13029 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13031 First, here's an example document type definition:
13035 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13036 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13039 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13040 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13041 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13042 types can be defined with very few settings:
13045 @item first-article
13046 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13047 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13050 @item article-begin
13051 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13052 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13054 @item head-begin-function
13055 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13058 @item nndoc-head-begin
13059 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13062 @item nndoc-head-end
13063 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13064 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13066 @item body-begin-function
13067 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13071 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13074 @item body-end-function
13075 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13079 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13082 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13083 regexp will be totally ignored.
13087 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13088 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13089 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13090 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13091 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13094 @item prepare-body-function
13095 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13096 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13097 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13099 @item article-transform-function
13100 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13101 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13102 body of the article.
13104 @item generate-head-function
13105 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13106 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13107 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13108 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13112 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13117 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13118 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13119 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13120 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13121 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13122 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13123 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13124 (subtype digest guess))
13127 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13128 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13129 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13130 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13131 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13133 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13134 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13135 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13136 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13137 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
13138 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13139 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13140 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13141 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13142 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13150 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13151 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13152 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13154 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13155 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13156 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13159 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13160 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13161 that interested in doing things properly.
13163 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13164 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13167 First some terminology:
13172 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13173 get news and/or mail from.
13176 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13177 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13180 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13184 @item message packets
13185 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13186 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13187 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13189 @item response packets
13190 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13191 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13192 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13202 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13203 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13204 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13205 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13208 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13211 You put the packet in your home directory.
13214 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13215 the native or secondary server.
13218 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13219 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13222 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13226 You transfer this packet to the server.
13229 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13232 You then repeat until you die.
13236 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13237 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13240 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13241 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13242 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13246 @node SOUP Commands
13247 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13249 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13253 @kindex G s b (Group)
13254 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13255 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13256 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13257 process/prefix convention.
13260 @kindex G s w (Group)
13261 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13262 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13265 @kindex G s s (Group)
13266 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13267 Send all replies from the replies packet
13268 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13271 @kindex G s p (Group)
13272 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13273 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13276 @kindex G s r (Group)
13277 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13278 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13281 @kindex O s (Summary)
13282 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13283 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13284 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13285 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13290 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13295 @item gnus-soup-directory
13296 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13297 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13298 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13300 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13301 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13302 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13303 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13305 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13306 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13307 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13308 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13310 @item gnus-soup-packer
13311 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13312 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13313 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13315 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13316 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13317 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13318 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13320 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13321 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13322 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13324 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13325 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13326 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13327 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13333 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13336 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13337 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13338 you can read them at leisure.
13340 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13344 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13345 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13346 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13347 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13349 @item nnsoup-directory
13350 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13351 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13352 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13354 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13355 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13356 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13357 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13359 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13360 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13361 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13362 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13363 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13365 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13366 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13367 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13368 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13370 @item nnsoup-active-file
13371 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13372 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13373 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13374 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13375 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13377 @item nnsoup-packer
13378 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13379 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13380 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13382 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13383 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13384 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13385 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13387 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13388 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13389 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13392 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13393 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13394 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13397 @item nnsoup-always-save
13398 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13399 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13405 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13407 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13408 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13409 more for that to happen.
13411 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13412 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13413 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13416 In specific, this is what it does:
13419 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13420 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13423 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13424 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13425 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13428 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13429 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13430 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13433 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13434 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13435 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13437 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13443 @item nngateway-address
13444 @vindex nngateway-address
13445 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13447 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13448 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13449 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13450 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13451 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13452 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13453 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13456 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13457 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13458 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13461 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13464 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13467 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13470 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13472 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13475 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13476 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13477 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13479 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13481 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13482 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13483 @code{nngateway-address}.
13488 (setq gnus-post-method
13489 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13490 (nngateway-header-transformation
13491 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13499 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13502 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13508 @subsection @sc{imap}
13512 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13513 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server
13514 is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just specify the
13515 network address of the server.
13517 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13522 @item nnimap-address
13523 @vindex nnimap-address
13525 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13526 server name if not specified.
13528 @item nnimap-server-port
13529 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13530 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13532 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13533 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13534 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13535 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13536 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13537 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13538 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13540 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13541 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13542 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13548 ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*" ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))
13551 @item nnimap-stream
13552 @vindex nnimap-stream
13553 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13554 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13555 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13556 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13560 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13561 @samp{imtest} program.
13563 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13565 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13566 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13569 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13570 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13572 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start IMAP connection.
13574 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13577 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
13578 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13579 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x. The variable
13580 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
13583 @vindex imap-ssl-program
13584 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13585 @file{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13586 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
13587 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
13588 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
13589 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
13592 @vindex imap-shell-program
13593 @vindex imap-shell-host
13594 For IMAP connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
13595 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
13597 @item nnimap-authenticator
13598 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13600 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13601 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13605 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13606 external program @code{imtest}.
13608 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13611 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
13612 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
13614 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
13616 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
13618 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
13621 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
13623 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
13624 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
13625 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
13626 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
13627 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
13628 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
13631 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
13632 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
13633 running in circles yet?
13635 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
13636 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
13639 The possible options are:
13644 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
13647 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
13648 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
13649 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
13650 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
13652 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
13655 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
13656 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
13658 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format
13659 is (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See
13660 `nntp-authinfo-file' for exact syntax.
13667 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
13668 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
13669 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
13674 @node Splitting in IMAP
13675 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
13676 @cindex splitting imap mail
13678 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
13679 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
13680 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
13681 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
13682 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
13686 Here are the variables of interest:
13690 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
13691 @cindex splitting, crosspost
13693 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
13695 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
13696 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
13698 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
13700 @item nnimap-split-inbox
13701 @cindex splitting, inbox
13703 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
13705 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
13706 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
13710 (setq nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
13713 No nnmail equivalent.
13715 @item nnimap-split-rule
13716 @cindex Splitting, rules
13717 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
13719 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
13722 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
13723 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
13724 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
13725 Neither did I, we need examples.
13728 (setq nnimap-split-rule
13729 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
13730 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
13731 ("INBOX.private" "")))
13734 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
13735 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
13736 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
13738 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
13739 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
13743 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
13746 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13747 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
13748 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
13749 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
13751 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
13752 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
13753 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
13754 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
13755 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
13756 them every time you fetch new mail.)
13758 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
13759 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
13760 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
13762 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
13763 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
13764 thinks the article should be splitted to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
13766 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
13768 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
13769 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
13770 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
13773 (setq nnimap-split-rule
13774 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
13775 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
13776 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
13777 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
13778 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
13781 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
13782 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
13783 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
13784 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
13785 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
13786 group/function elements.
13788 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
13790 @item nnimap-split-predicate
13792 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
13794 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
13795 splitted, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
13797 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
13798 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
13799 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
13802 @item nnimap-split-fancy
13803 @cindex splitting, fancy
13804 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
13805 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
13807 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13808 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
13809 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13811 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
13812 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13813 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
13814 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
13819 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
13820 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
13823 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
13827 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
13828 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13829 @cindex editing imap acls
13830 @cindex Access Control Lists
13831 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13833 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
13835 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
13836 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
13837 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
13840 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
13841 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
13842 editing window with detailed instructions.
13844 Some possible uses:
13848 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
13849 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
13850 follow the list without subscribing to it.
13852 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
13853 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
13854 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
13858 @node Expunging mailboxes
13859 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
13863 @cindex Manual expunging
13865 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
13867 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
13868 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
13869 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
13871 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
13876 @node Combined Groups
13877 @section Combined Groups
13879 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
13883 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
13884 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
13888 @node Virtual Groups
13889 @subsection Virtual Groups
13891 @cindex virtual groups
13892 @cindex merging groups
13894 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
13897 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
13898 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
13899 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
13901 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
13902 regexp to match component groups.
13904 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
13905 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
13906 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
13907 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
13908 the virtual group.)
13910 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
13911 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
13914 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
13917 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
13918 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
13920 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
13921 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
13922 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
13923 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
13926 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
13929 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
13930 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
13931 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
13933 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
13934 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
13935 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
13936 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
13937 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
13939 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
13940 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
13941 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
13943 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
13944 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
13945 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
13946 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13947 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
13948 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
13949 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
13950 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
13951 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
13952 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
13953 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
13955 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
13956 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
13957 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
13958 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
13959 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
13960 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
13961 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
13963 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
13964 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
13968 @node Kibozed Groups
13969 @subsection Kibozed Groups
13973 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
13974 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
13975 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
13976 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
13978 @kindex G k (Group)
13979 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
13982 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
13983 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
13984 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
13985 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
13987 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
13988 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
13989 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
13991 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
13992 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
13993 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
13994 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
13995 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
13996 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
13997 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
13998 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14000 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
14001 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
14002 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
14003 Stranger things have happened.
14005 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
14006 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
14008 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
14009 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
14010 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
14011 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
14012 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
14013 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
14015 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
14016 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
14019 @node Gnus Unplugged
14020 @section Gnus Unplugged
14025 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
14027 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
14028 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
14029 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
14030 read news. Believe it or not.
14032 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14033 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14034 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14035 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14036 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14038 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14039 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14040 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14041 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14042 reading news on a machine.
14044 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14048 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14049 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14053 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14054 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14061 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14063 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14066 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14067 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14068 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14069 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14070 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14071 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14072 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14073 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14074 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14079 @subsection Agent Basics
14081 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14083 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14084 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14085 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14086 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14088 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14089 connected to the net continuously.
14091 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14092 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14094 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14099 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14100 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14101 already fetched while in this mode.
14104 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14105 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14106 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14110 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14111 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
14112 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
14113 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
14116 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
14117 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
14118 then you read the news offline.
14121 And then you go to step 2.
14124 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
14130 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
14131 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
14132 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
14133 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
14134 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
14135 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
14138 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
14145 @node Agent Categories
14146 @subsection Agent Categories
14148 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
14149 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
14150 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
14151 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
14152 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
14153 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
14154 you're interested in the articles anyway.
14156 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
14157 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
14158 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
14159 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
14160 managing categories.
14163 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
14164 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
14165 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14169 @node Category Syntax
14170 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14172 A category consists of two things.
14176 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14177 are eligible for downloading; and
14180 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14181 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14182 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14185 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14186 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14187 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14188 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14190 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14191 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14192 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
14194 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14195 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14196 operators sprinkled in between.
14198 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14200 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14201 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14207 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14208 short (for some value of ``short'').
14210 Here's a more complex predicate:
14219 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14220 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14223 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14224 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14225 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14227 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14228 you want to do, you can write your own.
14232 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14233 lines; default 100.
14236 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14237 lines; default 200.
14240 True iff the article has a download score less than
14241 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14244 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14245 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14248 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14249 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14250 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14259 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14260 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14261 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14264 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14265 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14266 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14267 something along the lines of the following:
14270 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14271 "Say whether an article is old."
14272 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14273 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14276 with the predicate then defined as:
14279 (not my-article-old-p)
14282 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14283 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14284 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14285 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14288 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
14289 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14290 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14293 and simply specify your predicate as:
14299 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14300 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14301 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14302 just don't give a damm.
14304 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14305 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14306 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14307 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14308 parameters like so:
14311 (agent-predicate . short)
14314 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14315 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14316 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14318 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14321 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14324 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14325 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14326 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14329 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14330 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14331 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14332 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14333 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14334 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14336 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14337 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14338 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14339 if it's to be specific to that group.
14341 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14348 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14349 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14355 Category specification
14359 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14365 Group Parameter specification
14368 (agent-score ("from"
14369 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14374 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14380 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14387 Category specification
14390 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14396 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14400 Group Parameter specification
14403 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14406 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14411 Use @code{normal} score files
14413 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14414 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14415 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14416 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14418 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14419 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14420 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14421 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14425 Category Specification
14432 Group Parameter specification
14435 (agent-score . file)
14440 @node The Category Buffer
14441 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14443 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14444 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14445 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14447 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14451 @kindex q (Category)
14452 @findex gnus-category-exit
14453 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14456 @kindex k (Category)
14457 @findex gnus-category-kill
14458 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14461 @kindex c (Category)
14462 @findex gnus-category-copy
14463 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14466 @kindex a (Category)
14467 @findex gnus-category-add
14468 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14471 @kindex p (Category)
14472 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14473 Edit the predicate of the current category
14474 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14477 @kindex g (Category)
14478 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14479 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14480 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14483 @kindex s (Category)
14484 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14485 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14486 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14489 @kindex l (Category)
14490 @findex gnus-category-list
14491 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14495 @node Category Variables
14496 @subsubsection Category Variables
14499 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14500 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14501 Hook run in category buffers.
14503 @item gnus-category-line-format
14504 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14505 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14506 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14510 The name of the category.
14513 The number of groups in the category.
14516 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14517 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14518 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14520 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14521 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14522 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14524 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14525 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14526 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14528 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14529 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14530 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14533 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14534 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14535 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14541 @node Agent Commands
14542 @subsection Agent Commands
14544 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14545 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14546 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14550 * Group Agent Commands::
14551 * Summary Agent Commands::
14552 * Server Agent Commands::
14555 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14556 following incantation:
14558 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14560 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14565 @node Group Agent Commands
14566 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14570 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14571 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14572 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14573 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14576 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14577 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14578 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14581 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14582 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14583 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14584 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14587 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14588 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14589 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14590 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14593 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14594 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14595 Add the current group to an Agent category
14596 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14597 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14600 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14601 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14602 Remove the current group from its category, if any
14603 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
14604 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14609 @node Summary Agent Commands
14610 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
14614 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
14615 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
14616 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
14619 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
14620 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
14621 Remove the downloading mark from the article
14622 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
14625 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
14626 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
14627 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
14630 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
14631 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
14632 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
14637 @node Server Agent Commands
14638 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
14642 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
14643 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
14644 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
14645 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
14648 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
14649 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
14650 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
14651 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
14657 @subsection Agent Expiry
14659 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
14660 @findex gnus-agent-expire
14661 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
14662 @cindex Agent expiry
14663 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
14666 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
14667 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
14668 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
14669 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
14670 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
14671 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
14673 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
14674 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
14675 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
14676 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
14677 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
14680 @node Outgoing Messages
14681 @subsection Outgoing Messages
14683 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
14684 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
14685 after posting, and edit them at will.
14687 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
14688 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
14689 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
14690 messages in the draft group.
14694 @node Agent Variables
14695 @subsection Agent Variables
14698 @item gnus-agent-directory
14699 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
14700 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
14701 @file{~/News/agent/}.
14703 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
14704 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
14705 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
14706 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
14707 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
14710 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14711 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14712 Hook run when connecting to the network.
14714 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14715 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14716 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
14721 @node Example Setup
14722 @subsection Example Setup
14724 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
14725 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
14726 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
14729 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
14730 ;;; from your ISP's server.
14731 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
14733 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
14734 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
14735 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
14737 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
14738 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14740 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
14744 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
14745 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
14748 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
14749 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
14750 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
14751 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
14752 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
14755 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
14756 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
14757 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
14758 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
14759 back all the killed groups.)
14761 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
14762 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
14763 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
14766 @node Batching Agents
14767 @subsection Batching Agents
14769 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
14770 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
14771 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
14775 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
14779 @node Agent Caveats
14780 @subsection Agent Caveats
14782 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
14783 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
14787 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
14792 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
14793 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
14799 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
14800 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
14807 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
14808 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
14809 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
14812 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
14813 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
14814 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
14815 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
14816 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
14818 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
14819 before generating the summary buffer.
14821 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
14822 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
14823 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
14825 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
14826 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
14827 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
14828 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
14831 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
14832 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
14833 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
14834 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
14835 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
14836 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
14837 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
14838 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
14839 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
14840 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
14841 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
14842 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
14843 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
14844 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
14845 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
14846 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
14850 @node Summary Score Commands
14851 @section Summary Score Commands
14852 @cindex score commands
14854 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
14855 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
14856 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
14857 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
14858 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
14860 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
14861 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
14862 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
14863 score file the current one.
14865 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
14870 @kindex V s (Summary)
14871 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
14872 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
14875 @kindex V S (Summary)
14876 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
14877 Display the score of the current article
14878 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
14881 @kindex V t (Summary)
14882 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
14883 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
14884 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
14887 @kindex V R (Summary)
14888 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
14889 Run the current summary through the scoring process
14890 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
14891 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
14892 effect you're having.
14895 @kindex V c (Summary)
14896 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
14897 Make a different score file the current
14898 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
14901 @kindex V e (Summary)
14902 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
14903 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
14904 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
14908 @kindex V f (Summary)
14909 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
14910 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
14911 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
14914 @kindex V F (Summary)
14915 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14916 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
14917 after editing score files.
14920 @kindex V C (Summary)
14921 @findex gnus-score-customize
14922 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
14923 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
14927 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
14932 @kindex V m (Summary)
14933 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
14934 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
14935 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
14938 @kindex V x (Summary)
14939 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
14940 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
14941 expunge all articles below this score
14942 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
14945 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
14946 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
14949 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
14950 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
14954 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
14955 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
14957 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
14958 keys are available:
14962 Score on the author name.
14965 Score on the subject line.
14968 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
14971 Score on the @code{References} line.
14977 Score on the number of lines.
14980 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
14983 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
14984 the followups to this author.
14998 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
14999 what headers you are scoring on.
15011 Substring matching.
15014 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15043 Greater than number.
15048 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15049 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
15050 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
15054 Temporary score entry.
15057 Permanent score entry.
15060 Immediately scoring.
15065 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
15066 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
15067 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
15068 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
15070 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
15071 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
15072 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
15073 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
15074 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
15076 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
15077 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
15078 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
15079 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
15080 current score file.
15082 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
15083 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
15084 pretend they are keymaps or not.
15087 @node Group Score Commands
15088 @section Group Score Commands
15089 @cindex group score commands
15091 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
15096 @kindex W f (Group)
15097 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15098 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
15099 all the time. This command will flush the cache
15100 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
15104 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
15106 @findex gnus-batch-score
15107 @cindex batch scoring
15109 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
15113 @node Score Variables
15114 @section Score Variables
15115 @cindex score variables
15119 @item gnus-use-scoring
15120 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
15121 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
15122 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
15124 @item gnus-kill-killed
15125 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
15126 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
15127 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
15128 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
15129 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
15130 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
15131 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
15133 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
15134 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
15135 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
15136 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
15137 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
15139 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
15140 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
15141 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
15142 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
15144 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15145 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15146 @cindex score cache
15147 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
15148 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
15149 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
15150 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
15151 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
15152 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
15155 @item gnus-save-score
15156 @vindex gnus-save-score
15157 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
15158 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
15159 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
15161 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
15162 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
15163 across group visits.
15165 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15166 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15167 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
15168 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
15169 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
15170 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
15171 manually entered data.
15173 @item gnus-summary-default-score
15174 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
15175 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
15177 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
15178 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
15179 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
15180 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
15181 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
15182 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
15184 @item gnus-score-over-mark
15185 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
15186 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
15187 default. Default is @samp{+}.
15189 @item gnus-score-below-mark
15190 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
15191 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
15192 default. Default is @samp{-}.
15194 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15195 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15196 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15197 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15199 Predefined functions available are:
15202 @item gnus-score-find-single
15203 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15204 Only apply the group's own score file.
15206 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15207 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15208 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15209 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15210 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15211 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15212 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15213 then a regexp match is done.
15215 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15216 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15218 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15219 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15220 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15221 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15223 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15224 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15225 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15226 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15227 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
15230 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15231 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
15232 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
15233 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
15234 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
15235 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
15238 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15239 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15240 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15241 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15242 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15244 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15245 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15246 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15247 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15248 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15249 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15250 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15253 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15254 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15255 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15257 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15258 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15259 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15260 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15261 threading---according to the current value of
15262 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15263 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15264 simplified in this manner.
15269 @node Score File Format
15270 @section Score File Format
15271 @cindex score file format
15273 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15274 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15275 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15277 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15281 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15283 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15285 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15287 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15292 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15296 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15297 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15298 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15299 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15303 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15304 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15306 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15307 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15308 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15310 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15315 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15316 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15317 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15318 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15319 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15320 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15321 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15322 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15323 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15324 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15325 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15326 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15327 to articles that matches these score entries.
15329 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15330 score entry has one to four elements.
15334 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15335 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15339 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15340 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15341 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15342 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15343 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15344 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15347 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15348 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15349 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15350 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15351 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15354 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15355 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15356 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15357 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15360 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15361 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15362 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15363 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15364 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15365 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15366 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15367 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15368 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15369 instead, if you feel like.
15372 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15373 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15375 These predicates are true if
15378 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15381 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15382 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15389 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15390 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15391 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15392 it's not. I think.)
15394 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15395 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15396 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15397 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15400 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15401 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15402 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15403 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15404 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15405 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15406 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15410 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15411 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15412 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15413 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15414 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15415 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15416 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15417 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15420 @item Head, Body, All
15421 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15425 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15426 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15427 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15428 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15429 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15430 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15431 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15435 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15436 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15437 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15438 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15439 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15440 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15441 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15442 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15443 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15444 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15445 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15449 @cindex Score File Atoms
15451 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15452 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15455 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15456 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15458 @item mark-and-expunge
15459 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15460 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15463 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15464 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15465 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15466 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15467 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15470 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15471 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15474 @item exclude-files
15475 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15476 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15480 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15481 ignored when handling global score files.
15484 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15485 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15486 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15487 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15490 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15491 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15492 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15493 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15495 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15499 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15502 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15503 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15504 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15505 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15506 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15508 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15509 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15510 ordinary scoring rules.
15513 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15514 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15515 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15516 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
15517 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
15518 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
15519 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15520 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
15521 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
15522 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
15523 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
15527 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
15528 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
15529 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
15530 file for a number of groups.
15533 @cindex local variables
15534 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
15535 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
15536 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
15537 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
15538 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
15542 @node Score File Editing
15543 @section Score File Editing
15545 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
15546 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
15547 with a mode for that.
15549 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
15550 additional commands:
15555 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
15556 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
15557 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
15558 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
15561 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
15562 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
15563 Insert the current date in numerical format
15564 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
15565 you were wondering.
15568 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
15569 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
15570 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
15571 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
15572 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
15577 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
15579 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
15580 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
15582 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
15583 e} to begin editing score files.
15586 @node Adaptive Scoring
15587 @section Adaptive Scoring
15588 @cindex adaptive scoring
15590 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
15591 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
15592 stupidity, to be precise.
15594 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
15595 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
15596 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
15597 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
15598 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15599 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
15600 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
15601 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
15602 variable to @code{(word line)}.
15604 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15605 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
15606 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
15607 might look something like this:
15610 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15611 '((gnus-unread-mark)
15612 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
15613 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
15614 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
15615 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
15616 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
15617 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
15618 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
15619 (gnus-ancient-mark)
15620 (gnus-low-score-mark)
15621 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
15624 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
15625 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
15626 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
15627 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
15628 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
15629 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
15632 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
15633 will be applied to each article.
15635 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
15636 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
15637 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
15638 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
15640 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
15641 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
15642 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
15643 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
15645 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
15646 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
15647 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
15648 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
15650 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
15651 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
15652 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
15653 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
15654 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
15655 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
15657 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
15658 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
15659 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
15660 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
15661 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
15662 aspirins afterwards.)
15664 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
15665 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
15666 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
15668 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
15669 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
15670 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
15672 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
15673 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
15674 let you use different rules in different groups.
15676 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
15677 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
15678 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
15681 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
15682 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
15683 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
15684 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
15685 the length of the match is less than
15686 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
15687 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
15690 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15691 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
15692 headers. If you adapt on words, the
15693 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
15694 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
15697 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15698 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
15699 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
15700 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
15701 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
15704 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
15705 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
15706 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
15707 score with 30 points.
15709 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
15710 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
15711 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
15712 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
15713 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
15715 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
15716 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
15717 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
15718 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
15720 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
15721 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
15722 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
15723 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
15725 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
15726 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
15727 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
15728 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
15729 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
15731 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
15732 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
15733 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
15735 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
15736 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
15737 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
15738 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
15741 @node Home Score File
15742 @section Home Score File
15744 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
15745 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
15746 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
15747 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
15749 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
15750 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
15751 could perhaps use the same home score file.
15753 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
15754 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
15759 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
15763 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
15764 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
15768 A list. The elements in this list can be:
15772 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
15773 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
15776 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
15777 the home score file.
15780 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
15783 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
15788 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
15791 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15792 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
15795 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
15796 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
15798 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
15800 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15801 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
15804 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
15805 Other functions include
15808 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
15809 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
15810 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
15811 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
15815 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
15816 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
15817 their own home score files:
15820 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15821 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
15822 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
15823 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
15824 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
15827 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
15828 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
15829 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
15830 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
15831 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
15833 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
15834 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
15835 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
15836 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
15837 precedence over this variable.
15840 @node Followups To Yourself
15841 @section Followups To Yourself
15843 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
15844 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
15845 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
15846 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
15847 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
15848 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
15852 @item gnus-score-followup-article
15853 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
15854 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
15857 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
15858 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
15859 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
15863 @vindex message-sent-hook
15864 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
15865 @code{message-sent-hook}.
15867 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
15868 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
15872 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15873 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15876 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
15877 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
15882 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
15886 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
15887 is system-dependent.
15891 @section Scoring Tips
15892 @cindex scoring tips
15898 @cindex scoring crossposts
15899 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
15900 the @code{Xref} header.
15902 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
15905 @item Multiple crossposts
15906 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
15907 more than, say, 3 groups:
15909 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
15912 @item Matching on the body
15913 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
15914 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
15915 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
15916 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
15917 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
15918 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
15919 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
15922 @item Marking as read
15923 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
15924 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
15925 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
15929 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
15931 @item Negated character classes
15932 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
15933 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
15934 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
15938 @node Reverse Scoring
15939 @section Reverse Scoring
15940 @cindex reverse scoring
15942 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
15943 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
15944 like this in your score file:
15948 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
15953 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
15954 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
15957 @node Global Score Files
15958 @section Global Score Files
15959 @cindex global score files
15961 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
15962 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
15963 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
15965 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
15966 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
15967 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
15969 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
15970 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
15971 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
15972 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
15973 files are applicable to which group.
15975 Say you want to use the score file
15976 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
15977 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
15980 (setq gnus-global-score-files
15981 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
15982 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
15985 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
15986 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
15987 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
15988 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
15989 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
15991 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
15992 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
15994 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
15995 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
15996 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
15997 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
15998 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
15999 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
16001 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
16007 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
16009 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
16011 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
16013 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
16014 lowered out of existence.
16016 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
16017 articles completely.
16020 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
16021 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
16022 old articles for a long time.
16025 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
16026 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
16027 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
16028 holding our breath yet?
16032 @section Kill Files
16035 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
16036 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
16037 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
16039 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
16040 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
16041 files into score files.
16043 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
16044 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
16045 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
16046 that isn't a very good idea.
16048 Normal kill files look like this:
16051 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16052 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
16056 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
16057 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
16059 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
16060 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
16063 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
16068 @kindex M-k (Summary)
16069 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
16070 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
16073 @kindex M-K (Summary)
16074 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
16075 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
16078 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
16083 @kindex M-k (Group)
16084 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
16085 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
16088 @kindex M-K (Group)
16089 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
16090 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
16093 Kill file variables:
16096 @item gnus-kill-file-name
16097 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
16098 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
16099 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
16100 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
16101 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
16102 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
16104 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16105 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16106 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
16107 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
16110 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
16111 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
16112 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
16113 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
16114 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
16115 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
16116 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
16117 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
16118 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
16120 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16121 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16122 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
16127 @node Converting Kill Files
16128 @section Converting Kill Files
16130 @cindex converting kill files
16132 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
16133 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
16134 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
16137 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
16138 You can fetch it from
16139 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
16141 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
16142 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
16143 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
16151 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
16152 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
16153 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
16155 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
16156 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
16157 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
16158 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
16159 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
16160 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
16161 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
16162 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
16166 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
16167 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
16168 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
16169 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
16173 @node Using GroupLens
16174 @subsection Using GroupLens
16176 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
16178 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
16179 better bit in town at the moment.
16181 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
16185 @item gnus-use-grouplens
16186 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
16187 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
16188 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
16190 @item grouplens-pseudonym
16191 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
16192 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
16193 with the Better Bit Bureau.
16195 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16196 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16197 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16201 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16202 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16203 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16204 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16205 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16206 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16209 @node Rating Articles
16210 @subsection Rating Articles
16212 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16213 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16214 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16215 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16218 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16223 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16224 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16225 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16228 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16229 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16230 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16231 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16232 threads in rec.humor.
16236 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16237 the score of the article you're reading.
16242 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16243 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16244 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16247 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16248 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16249 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16253 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16254 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16257 @node Displaying Predictions
16258 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16260 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16261 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16262 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16263 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16264 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16266 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16267 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16268 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16269 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16270 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16271 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16272 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16273 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16274 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16275 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16276 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16277 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16278 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16280 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16281 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16282 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16283 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16285 The following are valid values for that variable.
16288 @item prediction-spot
16289 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16292 @item confidence-interval
16293 A numeric confidence interval.
16295 @item prediction-bar
16296 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16298 @item confidence-bar
16299 Numerical confidence.
16301 @item confidence-spot
16302 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16304 @item prediction-num
16305 Plain-old numeric value.
16307 @item confidence-plus-minus
16308 Prediction +/- confidence.
16313 @node GroupLens Variables
16314 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16318 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16319 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16320 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16321 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16324 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16325 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16328 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16329 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16331 @item grouplens-score-offset
16332 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16333 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16336 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16337 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16338 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16343 @node Advanced Scoring
16344 @section Advanced Scoring
16346 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16347 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16348 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16349 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16350 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16352 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16356 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16357 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16358 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16362 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16363 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16365 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16366 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16367 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16368 non-@code{nil} value.
16370 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16371 operator, and various match operators.
16378 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16379 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16380 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16385 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16386 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16387 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16392 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16393 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16397 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16398 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16399 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16400 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16401 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16402 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16403 the ancestry you want to go.
16405 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16406 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16407 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16408 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16409 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16412 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16413 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16415 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16416 when he's talking about Gnus:
16420 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16421 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16427 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16431 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16438 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16439 really don't want to read what he's written:
16443 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16444 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16448 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16449 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16450 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16457 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16458 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16459 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16460 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16464 The possibilities are endless.
16467 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16468 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16470 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16471 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16472 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16473 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16474 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16475 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16476 @samp{subject}) first.
16478 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16479 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16490 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16491 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16497 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16504 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16505 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16510 @section Score Decays
16511 @cindex score decays
16514 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
16515 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
16516 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
16517 use them in any sensible way.
16519 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
16520 @findex gnus-decay-score
16521 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
16522 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
16523 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
16524 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
16525 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
16526 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
16527 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
16528 definition of that function:
16531 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
16533 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
16534 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
16537 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
16539 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
16541 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
16544 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
16545 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
16546 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
16547 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
16551 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
16554 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
16557 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
16561 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
16562 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
16563 the new score, which should be an integer.
16565 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
16566 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
16573 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
16574 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
16575 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
16576 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
16577 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
16578 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
16579 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
16580 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
16581 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
16582 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
16583 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
16584 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
16585 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
16586 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
16587 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
16588 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
16589 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
16590 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
16594 @node Process/Prefix
16595 @section Process/Prefix
16596 @cindex process/prefix convention
16598 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
16599 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
16601 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
16602 command to be performed on.
16606 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
16607 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
16608 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
16609 with the current one.
16611 @vindex transient-mark-mode
16612 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
16613 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
16615 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
16616 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
16619 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
16620 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
16622 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
16625 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
16626 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
16627 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
16628 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16630 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
16631 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
16632 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
16633 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
16634 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
16635 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
16636 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
16637 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
16639 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
16640 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
16641 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
16642 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
16643 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
16647 @section Interactive
16648 @cindex interaction
16652 @item gnus-novice-user
16653 @vindex gnus-novice-user
16654 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
16655 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
16656 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
16657 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
16660 @item gnus-expert-user
16661 @vindex gnus-expert-user
16662 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
16663 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
16664 matter how strange.
16666 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
16667 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
16668 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
16669 is @code{t} by default.
16671 @item gnus-interactive-exit
16672 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
16673 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
16678 @node Symbolic Prefixes
16679 @section Symbolic Prefixes
16680 @cindex symbolic prefixes
16682 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
16683 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
16684 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
16685 rule of 900 to the current article.
16687 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
16688 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
16689 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
16690 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
16691 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
16692 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
16693 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
16695 @kindex M-i (Summary)
16696 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
16697 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
16698 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
16699 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
16700 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
16701 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
16702 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
16703 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
16705 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
16706 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
16707 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
16709 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
16713 @node Formatting Variables
16714 @section Formatting Variables
16715 @cindex formatting variables
16717 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
16718 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
16719 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
16720 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
16721 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
16724 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
16725 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
16726 lots of percentages everywhere.
16729 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
16730 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
16731 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
16732 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
16733 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
16736 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
16737 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
16738 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
16739 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
16740 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
16741 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
16742 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
16743 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
16745 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
16746 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
16748 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
16749 @findex gnus-update-format
16750 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
16751 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
16752 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
16753 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
16757 @node Formatting Basics
16758 @subsection Formatting Basics
16760 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
16761 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
16762 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
16764 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
16765 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
16766 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
16767 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
16768 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
16771 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
16772 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
16773 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
16774 less than 4 characters wide.
16777 @node Mode Line Formatting
16778 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
16780 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
16781 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
16782 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
16783 with the following two differences:
16788 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
16791 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
16792 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
16793 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
16794 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
16795 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
16796 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
16797 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
16802 @node Advanced Formatting
16803 @subsection Advanced Formatting
16805 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
16806 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
16807 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
16808 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
16810 These are the valid modifiers:
16815 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
16819 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
16824 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
16827 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
16832 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
16835 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
16838 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
16841 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
16845 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
16846 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
16847 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
16848 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
16849 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
16850 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
16851 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
16853 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
16854 last operation, padding.
16856 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
16857 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
16858 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
16859 @xref{Compilation}.
16862 @node User-Defined Specs
16863 @subsection User-Defined Specs
16865 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
16866 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
16867 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
16868 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
16869 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
16870 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
16871 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
16872 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
16873 should protect against that.
16875 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
16876 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
16877 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
16878 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
16882 @node Formatting Fonts
16883 @subsection Formatting Fonts
16885 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
16886 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
16887 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
16888 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
16891 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
16892 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
16893 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
16894 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
16895 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
16896 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
16898 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
16899 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
16900 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
16901 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
16902 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
16903 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
16904 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
16905 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
16907 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
16910 ;; Create three face types.
16911 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
16912 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
16914 ;; We want the article count to be in
16915 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
16916 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
16917 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
16919 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
16920 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
16922 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
16923 (setq gnus-group-line-format
16924 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
16927 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
16928 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
16930 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
16931 mode-line variables.
16934 @node Windows Configuration
16935 @section Windows Configuration
16936 @cindex windows configuration
16938 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
16940 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
16941 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
16942 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
16943 @code{t} by default.
16945 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
16946 glitches. Use at your own peril.
16948 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
16949 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
16950 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
16953 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
16954 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
16955 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16959 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
16960 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
16961 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
16962 possible names is listed below.
16964 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
16965 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
16968 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16972 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
16973 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
16974 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
16975 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
16976 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
16977 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
16978 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
16979 size spec per split.
16981 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
16982 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
16983 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
16984 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
16985 present) gets focus.
16987 Here's a more complicated example:
16990 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
16991 (summary 0.25 point)
16992 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
16996 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
16997 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
16998 occupy, not a percentage.
17000 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
17001 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
17002 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
17003 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
17004 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
17007 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
17010 (article (horizontal 1.0
17015 (summary 0.25 point)
17020 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
17021 @code{horizontal} thingie?
17023 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
17024 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
17025 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
17026 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
17027 the screen is to be given to this strip.
17029 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
17030 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
17031 lines from the splits.
17033 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
17037 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
17038 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
17039 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
17040 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
17041 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
17042 size = number | frame-params
17043 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
17046 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
17047 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
17048 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
17049 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
17051 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
17052 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
17053 @cindex window height
17054 @cindex window width
17055 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
17056 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
17057 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
17058 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
17059 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
17060 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
17062 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
17063 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
17064 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
17065 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
17067 @findex gnus-configure-frame
17068 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
17069 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
17070 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
17071 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
17072 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
17073 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
17074 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
17075 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
17076 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
17077 configuration list.
17080 (gnus-configure-frame
17084 (article 0.3 point))
17092 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
17093 @code{frame} split:
17096 (gnus-configure-frame
17099 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
17101 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
17102 (user-position . t)
17103 (left . -1) (top . 1))
17108 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
17109 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
17110 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
17111 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
17112 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
17113 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
17114 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
17115 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
17117 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
17118 be found in its default value.
17120 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
17121 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
17122 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
17126 (message (horizontal 1.0
17127 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
17129 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
17134 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
17135 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
17136 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
17139 (message (frame 1.0
17140 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
17141 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
17142 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
17143 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
17144 (name . "Message"))
17145 (message 1.0 point))))
17148 @findex gnus-add-configuration
17149 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
17150 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
17151 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
17152 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
17155 (gnus-add-configuration
17156 '(article (vertical 1.0
17158 (summary .25 point)
17162 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
17163 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
17164 Gnus has been loaded.
17166 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
17167 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
17168 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
17169 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
17170 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
17172 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
17173 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
17174 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
17178 @node Faces and Fonts
17179 @section Faces and Fonts
17184 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
17185 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
17186 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
17191 @section Compilation
17192 @cindex compilation
17193 @cindex byte-compilation
17195 @findex gnus-compile
17197 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17198 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17199 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
17200 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17201 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17202 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17205 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17206 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17207 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17208 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
17209 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
17210 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
17211 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
17215 @section Mode Lines
17218 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17219 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17220 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17221 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17222 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17223 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17224 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17227 @cindex display-time
17229 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17230 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17231 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17232 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17233 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17234 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17235 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17236 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17239 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17241 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17242 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17244 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17245 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17246 (length display-time-string)))))
17249 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17250 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17251 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17252 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17253 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17256 @node Highlighting and Menus
17257 @section Highlighting and Menus
17259 @cindex highlighting
17262 @vindex gnus-visual
17263 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17264 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17265 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17268 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17269 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17272 @item group-highlight
17273 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17274 @item summary-highlight
17275 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17276 @item article-highlight
17277 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17279 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17281 Create menus in the group buffer.
17283 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17285 Create menus in the article buffer.
17287 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17289 Create menus in the server buffer.
17291 Create menus in the score buffers.
17293 Create menus in all buffers.
17296 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17297 buffers, you could say something like:
17300 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17303 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17306 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17309 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17310 in all Gnus buffers.
17312 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17315 @item gnus-mouse-face
17316 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17317 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17318 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17322 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17326 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17327 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17328 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17330 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17331 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17332 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17334 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17335 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17336 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17338 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17339 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17340 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17342 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17343 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17344 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17346 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17347 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17348 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17359 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17360 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17361 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17362 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17363 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17367 @vindex gnus-carpal
17368 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17369 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17370 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17375 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17376 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17377 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17379 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17380 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17381 Face used on buttons.
17383 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17384 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17385 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17387 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17388 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17389 Buttons in the group buffer.
17391 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17392 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17393 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17395 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17396 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17397 Buttons in the server buffer.
17399 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17400 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17401 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17404 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17405 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17406 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17414 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17415 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17416 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17417 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17418 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17420 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17421 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17422 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17424 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17425 been idle for thirty minutes:
17428 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17431 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17435 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17438 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17439 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17440 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17442 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17443 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17444 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17445 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17447 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17448 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17449 @var{idle} minutes.
17451 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17452 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17455 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17456 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17457 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17459 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17460 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17461 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17462 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17464 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17465 your @file{.gnus} file:
17467 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17469 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17472 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17473 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17474 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17475 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
17476 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
17477 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
17478 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
17479 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
17480 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
17481 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
17482 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
17484 @findex gnus-demon-init
17485 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
17486 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
17487 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
17488 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
17489 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
17491 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
17492 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
17493 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
17502 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
17503 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
17505 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
17506 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
17507 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
17508 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
17511 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
17512 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
17513 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
17514 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
17516 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
17517 this will make spam disappear.
17519 There are some variables to customize, of course:
17522 @item gnus-use-nocem
17523 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
17524 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
17527 @item gnus-nocem-groups
17528 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
17529 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
17530 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
17531 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
17533 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
17534 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
17535 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
17536 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
17537 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
17538 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
17539 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
17541 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
17544 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
17545 @cindex Chris Lewis
17546 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
17547 usenet abuse than anybody else.
17550 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
17551 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
17552 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
17554 @item jem@@xpat.com;
17556 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
17559 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
17560 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
17561 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
17564 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
17565 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
17566 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
17567 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
17568 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
17569 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
17570 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
17571 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
17572 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
17573 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
17575 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
17576 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
17579 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
17582 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
17583 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
17586 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
17589 The specs are applied left-to-right.
17592 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
17593 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
17595 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
17596 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
17597 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
17598 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
17600 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
17601 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
17604 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
17606 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
17614 This might be dangerous, though.
17616 @item gnus-nocem-directory
17617 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
17618 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
17619 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
17621 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17622 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17623 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
17624 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
17625 might then see old spam.
17629 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
17630 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
17631 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
17632 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
17639 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
17640 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
17641 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
17643 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
17644 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
17645 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
17646 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
17647 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
17648 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
17649 @code{undo} function.
17651 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
17652 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
17653 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
17654 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
17655 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
17656 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
17657 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
17658 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
17659 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
17660 never be totally undoable.
17662 @findex gnus-undo-mode
17663 @vindex gnus-use-undo
17665 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
17666 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
17667 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
17668 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
17673 @section Moderation
17676 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
17677 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
17678 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
17681 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
17685 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
17688 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17690 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
17695 You split your incoming mail by matching on
17696 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
17697 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
17700 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
17701 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
17704 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
17705 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
17709 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
17712 (setq gnus-moderated-list
17713 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
17717 @node XEmacs Enhancements
17718 @section XEmacs Enhancements
17721 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
17725 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
17726 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
17727 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
17728 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
17741 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
17742 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
17743 over your shoulder as you read news.
17746 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
17747 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
17748 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
17749 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
17750 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
17755 @subsubsection Picon Basics
17757 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
17766 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
17767 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
17768 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
17769 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
17770 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
17771 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
17772 @code{GIF} formats.
17775 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17776 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
17777 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
17778 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
17779 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
17781 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17782 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
17783 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
17784 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
17785 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
17786 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17789 @node Picon Requirements
17790 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
17792 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
17793 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
17796 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
17797 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
17798 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
17800 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17801 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
17802 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
17803 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
17804 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
17808 @subsubsection Easy Picons
17810 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
17811 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
17814 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
17815 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
17818 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
17819 containing the Picons databases.
17821 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
17824 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17825 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
17830 @subsubsection Hard Picons
17838 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
17839 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
17840 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
17841 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
17842 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
17847 @item gnus-picons-database
17848 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17849 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
17850 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
17851 subdirectories. This is only useful if
17852 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
17853 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
17855 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17856 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17857 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
17858 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
17859 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
17860 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
17861 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17863 @item gnus-picons-display-where
17864 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17865 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
17866 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
17867 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
17868 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
17869 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
17870 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
17872 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17873 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17874 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
17879 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
17880 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
17882 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
17883 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
17886 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17888 @item gnus-article-display-picons
17889 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17890 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
17891 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
17893 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
17894 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17895 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
17901 @node Picon Useless Configuration
17902 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
17910 The following variables offer further control over how things are
17911 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
17912 don't need to worry about.
17916 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
17917 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
17918 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17919 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
17921 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
17922 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
17923 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
17924 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
17926 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
17927 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
17928 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17929 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
17930 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
17932 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17933 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17934 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
17935 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
17936 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
17937 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
17938 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
17940 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17941 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17942 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
17943 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
17945 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17946 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17947 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
17948 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
17949 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
17950 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
17951 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
17953 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17954 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17955 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
17956 Defaults to @code{nil}.
17958 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
17959 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
17960 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
17961 Defaults to @code{t}.
17963 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17964 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17965 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
17966 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
17968 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
17969 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
17970 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
17972 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17973 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17974 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
17975 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
17977 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
17978 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
17980 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17981 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17982 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
17983 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
17984 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
17985 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
17986 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
17987 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
17998 @subsection Smileys
18003 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
18008 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
18009 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
18011 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
18012 @file{.gnus.el} file:
18015 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
18018 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
18019 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
18020 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
18021 text and maps that to file names.
18023 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
18024 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
18025 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
18026 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
18027 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
18028 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
18030 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
18031 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
18033 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
18034 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
18035 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
18037 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
18038 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
18042 @item smiley-data-directory
18043 @vindex smiley-data-directory
18044 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
18046 @item smiley-flesh-color
18047 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
18048 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
18050 @item smiley-features-color
18051 @vindex smiley-features-color
18052 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18054 @item smiley-tongue-color
18055 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
18056 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
18058 @item smiley-circle-color
18059 @vindex smiley-circle-color
18060 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18062 @item smiley-mouse-face
18063 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
18064 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
18070 @subsection Toolbar
18080 @item gnus-use-toolbar
18081 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
18082 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
18083 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
18084 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
18086 @item gnus-group-toolbar
18087 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
18088 The toolbar in the group buffer.
18090 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
18091 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
18092 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
18094 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18095 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18096 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
18102 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
18105 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18106 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18107 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
18108 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
18109 unusual directory structure.
18111 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18112 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18113 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
18114 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
18116 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18117 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18118 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
18119 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
18120 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
18121 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
18123 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18124 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18125 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
18139 @node Fuzzy Matching
18140 @section Fuzzy Matching
18141 @cindex fuzzy matching
18143 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
18144 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
18146 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
18147 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
18148 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
18150 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
18151 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
18152 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
18153 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
18154 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
18157 @node Thwarting Email Spam
18158 @section Thwarting Email Spam
18162 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
18164 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
18165 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
18166 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
18167 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
18168 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
18169 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
18170 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
18171 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
18174 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
18175 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
18176 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
18177 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
18178 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
18179 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
18183 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
18184 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18186 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18187 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18188 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18189 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18190 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18191 part of the mail address.)
18194 (setq message-default-news-headers
18195 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18198 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18199 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18204 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18205 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18206 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18212 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18213 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18214 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18215 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18217 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18218 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18219 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18220 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18221 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18222 your fancy split rule in this way:
18227 (to "larsi" "misc")
18231 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18232 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18233 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18234 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18235 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18237 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18238 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18239 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
18240 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18241 cosmic balance somewhat.
18243 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18244 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18245 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18246 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18249 @node Various Various
18250 @section Various Various
18256 @item gnus-home-directory
18257 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18258 defaults to @file{~/}.
18260 @item gnus-directory
18261 @vindex gnus-directory
18262 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18263 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18264 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18266 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18267 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18268 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18269 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18271 @item gnus-default-directory
18272 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18273 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18274 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18275 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18276 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18277 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18278 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18281 @vindex gnus-verbose
18282 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18283 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18284 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18285 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18286 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18288 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18289 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18290 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18291 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18293 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18294 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18295 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18296 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18297 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18298 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18299 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18300 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18301 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18302 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18304 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18305 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18306 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18307 read when doing the operation described above.
18309 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18310 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18312 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18313 @cindex characters in file names
18314 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18315 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18316 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18319 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18323 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18324 Windows (phooey) systems.
18326 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18327 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18328 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18329 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18330 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18332 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18333 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18334 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18335 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18336 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18338 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18339 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18340 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18342 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18343 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18345 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
18346 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
18347 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
18348 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
18351 IMAP users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
18360 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18361 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18363 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18365 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18371 Not because of victories @*
18374 but for the common sunshine,@*
18376 the largess of the spring.
18380 but for the day's work done@*
18381 as well as I was able;@*
18382 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18383 but at the common table.@*
18388 @chapter Appendices
18391 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18392 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18393 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18394 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18395 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18396 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18397 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18398 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18406 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18407 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18409 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18410 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18411 @file{http://quimby.gnus.org/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
18412 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18413 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18415 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18416 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18417 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18418 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18419 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18420 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18422 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18423 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18424 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18425 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18428 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18429 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18430 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18431 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18432 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18433 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18434 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18435 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18436 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18437 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
18441 @node Gnus Versions
18442 @subsection Gnus Versions
18443 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18445 @cindex September Gnus
18446 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18448 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18449 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18450 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18452 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18453 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18455 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18456 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18458 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18459 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18461 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18462 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18465 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18466 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
18467 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
18468 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
18469 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
18473 @node Other Gnus Versions
18474 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18477 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18478 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18479 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18480 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18482 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18483 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
18484 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
18485 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
18492 What's the point of Gnus?
18494 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
18495 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
18496 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
18497 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
18498 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
18499 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
18500 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
18501 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
18502 keep track of millions of people who post?
18504 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
18505 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
18506 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
18507 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
18508 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
18509 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
18510 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
18511 every one of you to explore and invent.
18513 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
18514 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
18517 @node Compatibility
18518 @subsection Compatibility
18520 @cindex compatibility
18521 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
18522 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
18523 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
18528 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
18532 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
18535 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
18538 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
18539 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
18540 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
18541 important variables have their values copied into their global
18542 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
18543 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
18545 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
18546 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
18547 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
18548 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
18549 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
18553 @cindex highlighting
18554 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
18555 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
18556 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
18557 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
18558 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
18559 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
18562 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
18563 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
18564 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
18565 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
18567 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
18568 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
18569 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
18570 to stop doing it the old way.
18572 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
18574 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18576 @cindex reporting bugs
18578 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
18579 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
18580 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
18582 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
18583 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
18584 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
18585 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
18590 @subsection Conformity
18592 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
18593 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
18600 There are no known breaches of this standard.
18604 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
18606 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
18607 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
18608 We do have some breaches to this one.
18614 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
18615 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
18616 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
18617 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
18618 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
18623 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
18624 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
18625 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
18626 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
18630 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
18631 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
18636 @subsection Emacsen
18642 Gnus should work on :
18650 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
18654 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
18655 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
18658 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
18659 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
18660 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
18664 @node Gnus Development
18665 @subsection Gnus Development
18667 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
18668 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
18669 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
18670 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
18671 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
18672 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
18673 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
18674 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
18676 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
18677 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
18678 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
18679 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
18680 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
18683 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
18684 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
18685 In particular, @code{nnmail-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
18686 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
18687 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
18689 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
18690 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
18691 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
18692 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
18693 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
18694 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
18695 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
18696 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
18697 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
18698 can't be assumed to do so.
18703 @subsection Contributors
18704 @cindex contributors
18706 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
18707 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
18708 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
18709 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
18710 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
18711 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
18712 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
18713 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
18714 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
18715 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
18717 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
18723 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
18726 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
18727 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
18728 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
18729 functionality and stuff.
18732 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
18733 well as numerous other things).
18736 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
18739 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
18742 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
18745 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
18746 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
18749 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
18752 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
18753 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
18756 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
18759 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
18762 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
18765 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
18768 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
18769 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
18772 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
18775 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
18778 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
18781 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
18785 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
18788 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
18791 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
18794 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
18795 well as autoconf support.
18799 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
18800 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
18802 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
18811 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
18815 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
18825 Alexei V. Barantsev,
18840 Massimo Campostrini,
18845 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
18846 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
18850 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
18853 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
18859 Michael Welsh Duggan,
18864 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
18868 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
18876 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
18878 Michelangelo Grigni,
18882 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
18884 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
18886 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
18893 François Felix Ingrand,
18894 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
18895 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
18897 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
18908 Peter Skov Knudsen,
18909 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
18911 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
18912 Thor Kristoffersen,
18915 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
18933 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
18934 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
18941 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
18946 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
18950 John McClary Prevost,
18956 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
18961 Christian von Roques,
18964 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
18971 Philippe Schnoebelen,
18973 Randal L. Schwartz,
18987 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
18992 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
19008 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
19013 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
19014 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
19015 (550kB and counting).
19017 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
19020 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
19021 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
19025 @subsection New Features
19026 @cindex new features
19029 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
19030 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
19031 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
19032 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
19035 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
19036 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
19037 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
19041 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
19043 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
19048 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
19049 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
19052 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
19053 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
19056 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
19059 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
19060 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
19061 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
19064 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
19065 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
19066 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
19067 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19070 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
19071 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19074 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
19075 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
19076 (@pxref{The Active File}).
19079 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
19080 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
19083 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
19084 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
19085 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19088 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
19089 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
19090 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
19093 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
19094 the @file{.emacs} file.
19097 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
19098 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19101 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
19102 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
19105 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
19106 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19109 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
19110 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
19113 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
19114 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19117 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
19120 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
19121 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
19124 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
19125 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
19128 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
19129 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
19132 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
19135 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
19136 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19139 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
19143 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
19147 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
19148 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
19151 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
19157 @node September Gnus
19158 @subsubsection September Gnus
19162 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
19166 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
19171 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
19172 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
19176 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
19177 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
19181 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
19185 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
19186 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
19189 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
19193 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19196 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19199 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19202 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19206 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19207 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19210 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19214 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19218 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19222 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19226 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19229 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19230 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19233 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19237 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19238 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19241 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19244 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19245 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19246 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19249 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19253 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19256 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19260 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19261 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19264 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19265 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19268 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19269 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19272 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19273 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19274 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19277 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19278 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19281 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19284 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19287 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19290 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19293 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19294 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19297 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19301 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19304 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19309 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19312 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19316 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19319 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19323 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19326 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19329 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19330 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19333 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19334 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19338 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19339 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19342 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19346 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19347 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19350 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19353 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19357 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19361 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19362 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19365 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19369 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19370 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19373 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19374 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19377 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19381 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19384 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19387 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19393 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19395 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19399 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19406 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19409 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19410 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19413 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19414 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19418 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19419 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19422 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19425 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19426 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19429 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19433 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19434 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19438 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19439 Server Internals}).
19442 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19446 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19449 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19450 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19453 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19454 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19455 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19458 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19459 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19462 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19463 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19466 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19470 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19471 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19474 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19475 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19478 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19482 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
19485 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
19489 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
19490 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19493 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
19494 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19497 A new command for reading collections of documents
19498 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
19499 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
19502 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
19506 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
19507 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
19510 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
19511 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
19512 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
19515 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
19516 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
19520 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
19524 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
19528 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
19533 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
19537 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
19541 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
19542 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
19545 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
19551 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
19553 New features in Gnus 5.6:
19558 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
19559 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
19560 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
19563 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
19564 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
19565 group, which is created automatically.
19568 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
19572 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
19575 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
19576 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
19579 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
19583 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
19586 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
19587 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
19590 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
19593 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
19594 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
19597 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
19598 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
19601 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
19602 control over simplification.
19605 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
19608 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
19612 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
19615 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
19618 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
19619 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
19620 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
19623 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
19624 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
19627 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
19631 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
19632 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
19635 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
19636 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
19639 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
19643 A history of where mails have been split is available.
19646 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
19649 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
19650 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
19653 A new function for citing in Message has been
19654 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
19657 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
19660 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
19664 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
19665 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
19668 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
19669 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
19672 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
19675 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
19680 @node Newest Features
19681 @subsection Newest Features
19684 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
19687 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
19689 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
19690 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
19693 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
19698 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
19699 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
19702 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
19705 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
19708 facep is not declared.
19711 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
19712 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
19715 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
19720 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
19721 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
19722 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
19723 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
19724 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
19725 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
19726 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
19731 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
19734 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
19737 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
19739 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
19740 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
19742 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
19744 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
19746 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
19747 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
19749 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
19751 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
19752 be marked as unread.
19754 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
19756 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
19758 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
19759 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
19761 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
19763 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
19765 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
19766 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
19768 topics that contain just groups with ticked
19769 articles aren't displayed.
19771 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
19773 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
19774 make the mail groups killed.
19776 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
19778 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
19779 and articles have to be removed.
19781 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
19784 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
19786 finding short score file names takes forever.
19788 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19790 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
19792 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
19794 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
19796 nnweb doesn't work properly.
19798 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
19800 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
19801 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
19805 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
19807 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
19808 bar and the Gnus bar.
19811 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
19812 `(canonize-message-id id)'
19813 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
19814 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
19815 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
19816 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
19821 nnml .overview directory with splits.
19825 postponed commands.
19827 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
19829 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
19832 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
19833 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
19835 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
19836 inherit copy prompts and save files.
19838 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
19840 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
19841 for backends that support that.
19843 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
19845 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
19846 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
19848 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
19849 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
19851 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
19853 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
19855 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
19857 server mode command: close/open all connections
19859 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
19860 has been changed before using it.
19862 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
19864 hide (sub)threads with low score.
19866 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
19868 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
19870 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
19871 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
19873 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
19874 contain groups that match a regexp.
19876 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
19879 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
19882 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
19883 from subject lines.
19885 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
19887 nntp-ping-before-connect
19889 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
19891 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
19892 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
19894 message annotations.
19896 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
19898 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
19899 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
19901 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
19906 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
19908 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
19910 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
19912 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
19913 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
19915 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
19917 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
19919 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
19920 finds and generate proper active ranges.
19922 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
19923 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
19925 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
19927 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
19929 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
19930 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
19932 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
19934 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
19936 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
19937 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
19940 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
19942 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
19944 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
19945 `C-c C-c' when posting.
19947 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
19950 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
19951 should be marker as expirable.
19953 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
19955 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
19956 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
19958 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
19959 Also consult Date headers.
19961 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
19963 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
19965 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
19966 Message-ID, delete the "original".
19968 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
19969 into a See-Also header.
19971 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
19973 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
19975 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
19976 should be listed as such and not as "K".
19978 generate font names dynamically.
19980 score file mode auto-alist.
19982 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
19983 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
19985 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
19986 absolutely all headers there is.
19988 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
19989 and pipe them to the process.
19991 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
19992 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
19993 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
19995 function for starting to edit a file to put into
19996 the current mail group.
19998 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
20000 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
20001 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
20003 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
20004 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
20006 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
20008 when replying to several process-marked articles,
20009 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
20011 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
20012 groups it has been mailed to.
20014 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
20016 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
20018 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
20020 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
20021 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
20023 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
20024 newlines) should be ignored.
20026 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
20027 groups in subtopics as well.
20029 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
20031 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
20034 add edit and forward secondary marks.
20036 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
20038 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
20040 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
20042 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
20044 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
20046 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
20047 or the formatted article.
20049 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
20051 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
20052 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
20054 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
20056 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
20058 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
20060 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
20061 even unread articles.
20063 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
20065 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
20067 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
20069 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
20071 canceling articles in foreign groups.
20073 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
20076 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
20077 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
20079 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
20080 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
20082 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
20084 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
20086 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
20087 from a particular server? Hm.
20089 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
20090 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
20092 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
20094 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
20095 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
20097 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
20098 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
20100 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
20101 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
20102 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
20105 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
20106 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
20108 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
20110 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
20112 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
20114 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
20117 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
20120 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
20121 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
20123 command to show and edit group scores
20125 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
20128 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
20130 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
20132 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
20133 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
20136 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
20137 that are of that length.
20139 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
20141 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
20143 asynchronous posting under nntp.
20145 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
20147 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
20149 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
20151 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
20152 a score lower than this number.
20154 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
20156 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
20158 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
20159 so that each copy can be edited separately.
20161 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
20163 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
20164 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
20166 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
20169 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
20170 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
20171 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
20172 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
20174 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
20177 command to remove all topic stuff.
20179 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
20180 and splitting the resulting digests.
20182 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
20184 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
20186 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
20187 matches an alist -- before saving.
20189 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
20191 variable to activate each group before entering them
20192 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
20194 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
20195 starting Gnus first if necessary.
20197 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
20198 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
20200 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
20202 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
20203 of several groups at once.
20205 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
20206 matches some regexp(s).
20208 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
20210 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
20212 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
20214 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
20216 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
20218 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
20220 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
20222 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
20223 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
20224 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
20225 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
20227 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
20228 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
20230 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
20232 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
20233 recently cited text.
20235 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
20237 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
20240 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
20241 server and just read the articles in the server
20243 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
20244 value of nnoo variables.
20246 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
20248 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
20249 listed in each group info.
20251 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
20254 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
20255 should only be applied to some groups.
20257 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
20258 mail-copies-to: never.
20260 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
20261 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
20263 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
20265 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
20268 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
20271 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
20273 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
20276 group user-defined meta-parameters.
20280 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
20282 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
20283 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
20284 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
20285 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
20286 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
20288 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
20289 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
20296 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
20297 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
20299 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
20300 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
20302 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
20303 "Return the date the group was last read."
20304 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
20309 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
20310 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
20311 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
20312 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
20316 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
20317 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
20319 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
20322 They could be used like this:
20326 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
20327 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
20328 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
20330 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
20332 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
20335 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
20338 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
20339 affect the summary line format.
20343 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
20345 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
20346 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
20348 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
20351 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
20353 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
20355 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
20357 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
20359 - For other files, just find them normally.
20361 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
20362 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
20365 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
20366 tell him what you are doing.
20369 Currently, I get prompted:
20373 decend into sci.something ?
20377 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
20378 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
20379 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
20380 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
20383 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
20384 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
20385 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
20386 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
20389 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
20390 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
20396 more than n blank lines
20398 more than m identical lines
20399 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
20401 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
20405 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
20406 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
20407 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
20408 "same" subject for threading purposes.
20411 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
20412 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
20413 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
20414 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
20417 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
20420 soup - bowl of soup
20421 score below - dim light bulb
20422 score over - bright light bulb
20425 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
20430 show-list-of-articles-in-group
20431 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20432 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
20433 if (articles-selected)
20434 start-reading-selected-articles;
20435 junk-unread-articles;
20440 else if (key-pressed = '.')
20441 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
20442 select-thread-under-cursor;
20444 select-article-under-cursor;
20448 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20449 if (more-pages-in-article)
20451 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
20458 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
20459 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
20460 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
20463 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
20464 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
20465 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
20466 the wildcard expression).
20469 It would be nice if it also handled
20471 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
20473 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
20478 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
20479 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
20480 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
20481 article versions) variable.
20483 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
20485 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
20486 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
20490 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
20493 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
20494 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
20495 (message-sent-hook).
20497 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
20500 * Enhancements to Gnus:
20504 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
20505 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
20508 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
20509 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
20510 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
20513 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
20514 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
20518 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
20521 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
20525 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
20526 the nnmail duplicate checking.
20529 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
20530 value of the signature file.
20533 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
20534 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
20537 (setq message-tab-alist
20538 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
20539 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
20541 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
20545 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
20548 a command to import a buffer into a group.
20551 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
20554 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
20555 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
20558 a command to process mark all unread articles.
20561 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
20562 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
20563 do more gathering by subject.
20566 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
20567 article numerical order.
20570 (gnus-thread-total-score
20571 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
20575 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
20578 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
20579 in the summary buffer.
20582 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
20583 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
20586 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
20587 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
20588 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
20589 and/or newsgroup name.
20592 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
20595 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
20598 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
20601 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
20602 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
20603 will automatically get the process mark.
20606 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
20607 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
20608 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
20611 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
20615 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
20616 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
20619 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
20620 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
20624 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
20625 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
20628 be able to post via DejaNews.
20631 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
20634 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
20635 allow them to be displayed separately.
20638 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
20639 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
20642 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
20643 articles that match a certain From header.
20646 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
20647 saving living summary buffers.
20650 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
20651 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
20654 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
20655 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
20658 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
20659 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
20662 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
20663 (goto-char (point-min))
20664 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
20665 (replace-match "`" t t))
20666 (goto-char (point-min))
20667 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
20668 (replace-match "'" t t))
20669 (goto-char (point-min))
20670 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
20671 (replace-match "\"" t t))
20672 (goto-char (point-min))
20673 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
20674 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
20679 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
20681 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
20682 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
20683 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
20684 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
20688 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
20691 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
20692 numbers and match on the age of the article.
20696 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
20697 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
20698 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
20700 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
20701 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
20703 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
20704 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
20709 all commands that react to the process mark should push
20710 the current process mark set onto the stack.
20713 gnus-article-hide-pgp
20714 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
20716 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
20718 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
20719 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
20722 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
20723 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
20726 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
20730 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
20731 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
20734 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
20737 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
20740 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
20743 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
20747 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
20753 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
20756 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
20760 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
20761 X characters in the body.
20764 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
20767 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
20770 format spec to "tab" to a position.
20773 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
20776 command to display all dormant articles.
20779 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
20782 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
20783 to something someone else has said.
20786 Read Netscape discussion groups:
20787 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
20790 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
20791 the displayed version.
20794 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
20798 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
20801 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
20802 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
20803 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
20807 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
20808 in the head or body.
20811 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
20814 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
20817 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
20818 in a special, unique buffer.
20821 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
20824 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
20825 is less than a certain number of days old.
20828 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
20831 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
20834 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
20835 file, for instance.
20838 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
20839 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
20840 dummy root instead of the first article.
20843 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
20844 topics for displaying.
20847 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
20848 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
20851 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
20854 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
20855 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
20856 summary buffer for each article.
20859 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
20862 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
20866 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
20869 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
20873 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
20876 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
20879 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
20880 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
20883 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
20884 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
20887 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
20888 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
20891 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
20892 timeout for all commands.
20895 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
20896 It should go somewhere else.
20899 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
20900 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
20901 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
20903 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
20904 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
20906 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
20907 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
20914 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
20915 --text follows this line--
20916 Sorry I killfiled you...
20918 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20920 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20925 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
20929 - Edit article's summary line.
20931 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
20933 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
20939 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
20943 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
20944 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
20948 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
20951 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
20954 When I type W W c (gnus-article-hide-citation) in the summary
20955 buffer, the citations are revealed, but the [+] buttons don't turn
20956 into [-] buttons. (If I click on one of the [+] buttons, it does
20957 turn into a [-] button.)
20960 Perhaps there should be a command to "attach" a buffer of comments to
20961 a message? That is, `B WHATEVER', you're popped into a buffer, write
20962 something, end with `C-c C-c', and then the thing you've written gets
20963 to be the child of the message you're commenting.
20966 Handle external-body parts.
20969 When renaming a group name, nnmail-split-history does not get the group
20973 Allow mail splitting on bodies when using advanced mail splitting.
20976 (body "whatever.text")
20980 Solve the halting problem.
20989 @section The Manual
20993 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20994 either @code{texi2dvi}
20996 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20997 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20999 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21001 The following conventions have been used:
21006 This is a @samp{string}
21009 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21012 This is a @file{file}
21015 This is a @code{symbol}
21019 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21023 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21026 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21029 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21032 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21033 ever get them confused.
21037 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21038 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21039 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21040 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21041 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21042 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21043 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21049 @node On Writing Manuals
21050 @section On Writing Manuals
21052 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21053 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21054 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21055 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21056 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21057 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21060 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21061 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21062 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21065 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21066 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21071 @section Terminology
21073 @cindex terminology
21078 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21079 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21080 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21081 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21082 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21086 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21087 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21088 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21089 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21093 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21097 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21102 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
21103 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21104 is all done by the backends.
21108 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
21109 default, way of getting news.
21113 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21114 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
21119 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21120 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21124 A message that has been posted as news.
21127 @cindex mail message
21128 A message that has been mailed.
21132 A mail message or news article
21136 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21141 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21146 A line from the head of an article.
21150 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21151 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21155 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
21156 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21157 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21158 normal @sc{head} format.
21162 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21163 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21164 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21165 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21166 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21167 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21169 @item killed groups
21170 @cindex killed groups
21171 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21172 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21174 @item zombie groups
21175 @cindex zombie groups
21176 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21179 @cindex active file
21180 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21181 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21182 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21185 @cindex bogus groups
21186 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21187 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21188 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21191 @cindex activating groups
21192 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21193 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21194 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21198 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21200 @item select method
21201 @cindex select method
21202 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
21205 @item virtual server
21206 @cindex virtual server
21207 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21208 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21209 whole is a virtual server.
21213 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21214 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21217 @item ephemeral groups
21218 @cindex ephemeral groups
21219 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21220 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21221 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21224 @cindex solid groups
21225 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21226 group buffer are solid groups.
21228 @item sparse articles
21229 @cindex sparse articles
21230 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21231 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21235 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21236 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21240 @cindex thread root
21241 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21242 articles in the thread.
21246 An article that has responses.
21250 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21254 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21255 specified by RFC 1153.
21261 @node Customization
21262 @section Customization
21263 @cindex general customization
21265 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21266 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21267 for some quite common situations.
21270 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21271 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21272 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21273 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21277 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21278 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21280 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21281 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21282 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21286 @item gnus-read-active-file
21287 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21288 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21289 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21290 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21291 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21293 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21294 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21295 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21296 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21300 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21301 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21303 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21304 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21305 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21309 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21310 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21311 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21312 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21313 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21315 @item gnus-visible-headers
21316 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21317 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21318 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21319 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21321 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21323 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21324 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21325 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21328 @item gnus-use-full-window
21329 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21330 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21331 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21332 want to read them anyway.
21334 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21335 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21338 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21339 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21340 lines, which might save some time.
21344 @node Little Disk Space
21345 @subsection Little Disk Space
21348 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21349 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21353 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21354 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21355 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21356 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21359 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21360 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21361 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21362 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21365 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21366 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21367 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21368 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21369 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21375 @subsection Slow Machine
21376 @cindex slow machine
21378 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21379 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21381 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21382 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21384 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21385 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21386 summary buffer faster.
21390 @node Troubleshooting
21391 @section Troubleshooting
21392 @cindex troubleshooting
21394 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21402 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21405 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21406 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21410 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21411 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
21412 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
21413 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21416 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21420 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21421 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21422 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21423 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21424 something like that.
21427 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21430 @cindex reporting bugs
21432 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21434 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21435 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21436 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21437 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21439 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21440 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21441 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21442 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21445 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21446 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21447 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21448 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21449 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21450 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21452 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21453 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21454 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21457 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21458 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21460 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21461 @cindex ding mailing list
21462 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21463 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21467 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21468 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21470 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21471 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21472 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21473 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21476 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21477 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21478 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21479 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21480 and general methods of operation.
21483 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21484 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21485 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21486 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21487 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21488 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21489 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21490 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21491 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21495 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21496 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21497 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21498 @cindex utility functions
21500 @cindex internal variables
21502 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21503 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21504 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21508 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21509 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21510 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21512 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21513 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21514 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21516 @item gnus-group-real-name
21517 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21518 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21521 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21522 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21523 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21524 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21526 @item gnus-get-info
21527 @findex gnus-get-info
21528 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21530 @item gnus-group-unread
21531 @findex gnus-group-unread
21532 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21536 @findex gnus-active
21537 The active entry for @var{group}.
21539 @item gnus-set-active
21540 @findex gnus-set-active
21541 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21543 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21544 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21545 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21548 @item gnus-continuum-version
21549 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21550 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21551 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21554 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21555 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21556 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21558 @item gnus-news-group-p
21559 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21560 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21562 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21563 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21564 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21566 @item gnus-server-to-method
21567 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21568 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21570 @item gnus-server-equal
21571 @findex gnus-server-equal
21572 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21574 @item gnus-group-native-p
21575 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21576 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21578 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21579 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21580 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21582 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21583 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21584 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21586 @item group-group-find-parameter
21587 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21588 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21589 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21591 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21592 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21593 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21595 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21596 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21597 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21599 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21600 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21601 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21602 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21605 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21609 @item gnus-read-method
21610 @findex gnus-read-method
21611 Prompts the user for a select method.
21616 @node Backend Interface
21617 @subsection Backend Interface
21619 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21620 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21621 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21622 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21623 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21624 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21626 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21627 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21628 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21629 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21630 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21631 been opened, the function should fail.
21633 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21634 name. Take this example:
21638 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21639 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21642 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21643 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21645 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21646 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21647 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21649 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21650 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21651 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21653 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21654 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21655 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21656 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21657 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21658 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21661 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21662 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21663 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21664 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21667 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21670 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21673 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21674 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21675 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21676 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21677 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21678 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21682 @node Required Backend Functions
21683 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21687 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21689 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21690 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21691 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21692 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21694 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21695 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21696 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21697 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21699 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21700 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21701 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21702 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21703 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21704 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21705 number, do maximum fetches.
21707 Here's an example HEAD:
21710 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21711 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21712 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21713 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21714 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21715 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21716 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21718 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21719 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21720 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21724 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21725 these in the data buffer.
21727 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21731 head = error / valid-head
21732 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21733 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21734 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21735 header = <text> eol
21738 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21739 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21743 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21744 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21745 field = <text except TAB>
21748 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21752 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21754 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21755 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21757 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21758 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21759 server. In fact, it should do so.
21761 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21762 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21765 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21767 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21768 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21771 There should be no data returned.
21774 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21776 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21777 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21778 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21779 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21781 There should be no data returned.
21784 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21786 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21787 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21788 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21789 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21791 There should be no data returned.
21794 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21796 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21798 There should be no data returned.
21801 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21803 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21804 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21805 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21806 it would be nice if that were possible.
21808 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21809 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21810 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21811 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21812 into its article buffer.
21814 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21815 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21816 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21817 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21818 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21819 on successful article retrieval.
21822 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21824 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21825 making @var{group} the current group.
21827 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21830 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21833 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21836 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21837 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21838 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21839 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21840 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21841 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21842 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21843 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21846 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21847 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21848 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21852 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21854 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21855 a no-op on most backends.
21857 There should be no data returned.
21860 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21862 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21865 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21868 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21869 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21872 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21873 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21876 active-file = *active-line
21877 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21879 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21882 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21883 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21884 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21887 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21889 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21890 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21891 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21892 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21893 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21894 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21896 There should be no result data from this function.
21901 @node Optional Backend Functions
21902 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21906 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21908 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21909 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21910 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21912 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21913 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21914 former is in the same format as the data from
21915 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21916 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21919 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21923 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21925 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21926 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21927 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21928 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21929 should return the (altered) group info.
21931 There should be no result data from this function.
21934 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21936 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21937 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21938 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21939 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21940 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21941 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21942 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21943 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21945 There should be no result data from this function.
21948 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21950 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21951 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21952 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21953 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21954 propagate the mark information to the server.
21956 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21959 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21962 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
21963 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21964 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21965 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21966 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
21967 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21968 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21969 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
21970 not limit itself to these.
21972 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21973 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21974 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21975 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21977 An example action list:
21980 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21981 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21982 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21985 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21986 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21988 There should be no result data from this function.
21990 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21992 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21993 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21994 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21995 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21996 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21998 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21999 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22000 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22003 There should be no result data from this function.
22006 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22008 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22009 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
22010 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
22011 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22012 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
22013 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22014 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22016 There should be no result data from this function.
22019 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22021 The result data from this function should be a description of
22025 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22027 description = <text>
22030 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22032 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22033 groups available on the server.
22036 description-buffer = *description-line
22040 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22042 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22043 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
22044 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
22047 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22049 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22051 There should be no return data.
22054 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22056 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22057 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22058 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
22059 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22060 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22063 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22066 There should be no result data returned.
22069 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22072 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22073 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22075 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22076 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22077 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22078 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22079 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22080 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22082 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22083 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22086 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22087 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22089 There should be no data returned.
22092 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22094 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22095 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22096 this function in short order.
22098 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22099 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22101 There should be no data returned.
22104 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22106 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22107 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22109 There should be no data returned.
22112 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22114 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22115 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22116 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22118 There should be no data returned.
22121 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22123 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22124 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22126 There should be no data returned.
22131 @node Error Messaging
22132 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22134 @findex nnheader-report
22135 @findex nnheader-get-report
22136 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22137 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22138 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
22139 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22140 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22141 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22144 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22146 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22149 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22150 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22151 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
22152 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22154 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
22155 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
22156 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22159 @node Writing New Backends
22160 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
22162 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22163 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22164 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22165 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22166 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22169 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22170 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22171 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22173 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22174 package called @code{nnoo}.
22176 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
22177 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
22183 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22184 parameters. For instance:
22187 (nnoo-declare nndir
22191 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22192 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22195 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22196 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22197 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22199 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22200 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22201 a function in those backends.
22204 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22205 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22206 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22209 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22210 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22211 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22213 @item nnoo-define-basics
22214 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22218 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22222 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22223 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22224 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22226 @item nnoo-map-functions
22227 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22228 functions from the parent backends.
22231 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22232 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22233 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22236 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22237 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22238 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22239 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22242 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22243 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22244 haven't already been defined.
22250 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22254 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22255 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22256 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22261 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22264 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22265 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22269 (require 'nnheader)
22273 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22275 (nnoo-declare nndir
22278 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22279 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22280 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22282 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22283 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22286 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22287 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22288 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22290 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22291 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22293 ;;; Interface functions.
22295 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22297 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22298 (setq nndir-directory
22299 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22301 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22302 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22303 (push `(nndir-current-group
22304 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22306 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22307 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22309 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22311 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22312 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22313 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22314 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22315 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22319 nnmh-status-message
22321 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22327 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22328 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22330 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22331 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22332 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22333 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22335 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22336 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22341 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22344 The abilities can be:
22348 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22350 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22352 This backend supports both mail and news.
22354 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22357 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22358 articles and groups.
22360 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22361 true for almost all backends.
22362 @item prompt-address
22363 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22364 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22365 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22369 @node Mail-like Backends
22370 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22372 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22373 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22374 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22375 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22378 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22379 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22380 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22383 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22384 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22387 This function takes four parameters.
22391 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22394 @item exit-function
22395 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22397 @item temp-directory
22398 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22401 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22402 performed for one group only.
22405 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22406 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22407 find the article number assigned to this article.
22409 The function also uses the following variables:
22410 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22411 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22412 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22413 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22417 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22418 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22422 @node Score File Syntax
22423 @subsection Score File Syntax
22425 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22426 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22427 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22429 Here's a typical score file:
22433 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22440 BNF definition of a score file:
22443 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22444 element = rule / atom
22445 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22446 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22447 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22448 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22450 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22451 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22452 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22453 date-header = "date"
22454 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22455 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22456 score = "nil" / <integer>
22457 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22458 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22459 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22460 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22461 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22462 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22463 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22464 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22465 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22466 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22467 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22468 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22469 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22470 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22471 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22472 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22473 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22474 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22475 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22476 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22477 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22478 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22479 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22480 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22481 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22482 eval = "eval" space <form>
22483 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22486 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22489 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22490 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22491 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22492 one looong line, then that's ok.
22494 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22495 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22499 @subsection Headers
22501 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22502 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22503 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22504 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22506 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22507 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22508 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22509 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22510 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22511 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22512 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22514 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22515 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22516 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22517 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22518 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22520 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22521 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22527 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22528 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22530 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22531 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22532 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22533 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22535 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22539 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22542 is transformed into
22545 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22548 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22549 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22552 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22555 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22556 is slightly tricky:
22559 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22565 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22568 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22574 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22581 and is equal to the previous range.
22583 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22584 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22585 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22589 range = simple-range / normal-range
22590 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22591 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22592 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22593 number *[ " " contents ]
22596 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22597 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22598 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22599 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22600 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22605 @subsection Group Info
22607 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22608 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22609 describes the group.
22611 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22612 second is a more complex one:
22615 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22617 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22618 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22620 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22623 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22624 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22625 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22626 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22627 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22628 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22629 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22630 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22631 this section is about.
22633 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22634 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22635 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22637 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22640 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22641 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22642 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22643 group = quote <string> quote
22644 ralevel = rank / level
22645 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22646 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22647 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22649 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22650 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22651 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22652 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22655 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22656 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22659 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22660 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22663 @item gnus-info-group
22664 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22665 @findex gnus-info-group
22666 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22667 Get/set the group name.
22669 @item gnus-info-rank
22670 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22671 @findex gnus-info-rank
22672 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22673 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22675 @item gnus-info-level
22676 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22677 @findex gnus-info-level
22678 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22679 Get/set the group level.
22681 @item gnus-info-score
22682 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22683 @findex gnus-info-score
22684 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22685 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22687 @item gnus-info-read
22688 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22689 @findex gnus-info-read
22690 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22691 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22693 @item gnus-info-marks
22694 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22695 @findex gnus-info-marks
22696 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22697 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22699 @item gnus-info-method
22700 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22701 @findex gnus-info-method
22702 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22703 Get/set the group select method.
22705 @item gnus-info-params
22706 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22707 @findex gnus-info-params
22708 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22709 Get/set the group parameters.
22712 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22713 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22715 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22716 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22717 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22718 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22721 @node Extended Interactive
22722 @subsection Extended Interactive
22723 @cindex interactive
22724 @findex gnus-interactive
22726 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22727 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22728 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22731 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22732 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22737 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22738 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22739 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22740 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22741 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22742 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22743 @code{interactive}.
22745 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22750 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22751 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22755 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22756 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22757 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22760 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22764 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22768 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22774 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22775 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22779 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22780 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22781 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22783 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22784 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22785 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22786 Gnus, that's very useful.
22788 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22789 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22790 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22791 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22792 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22793 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22794 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22795 following function:
22798 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22802 (,function ,@@args))
22806 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22807 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22808 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22811 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22812 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22813 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22815 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22816 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22817 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22820 @node Various File Formats
22821 @subsection Various File Formats
22824 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22825 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22829 @node Active File Format
22830 @subsubsection Active File Format
22832 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22833 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22836 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22839 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22840 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22841 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22842 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22843 no.general 1000 900 y
22846 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22849 active = *group-line
22850 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
22851 group = <non-white-space string>
22853 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22854 low-number = <positive integer>
22855 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22858 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22859 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22862 @node Newsgroups File Format
22863 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22865 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22866 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22867 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22870 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22871 Here's the definition:
22875 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22876 group = <non-white-space string>
22878 description = <string>
22883 @node Emacs for Heathens
22884 @section Emacs for Heathens
22886 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22887 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22888 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22889 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22890 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22891 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22892 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22896 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22897 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22902 @subsection Keystrokes
22906 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22909 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22912 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22913 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22914 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22915 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22916 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22917 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22919 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22920 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22921 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22922 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22923 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22924 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22925 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22927 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22928 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22929 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22930 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22931 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22932 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22933 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22935 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22936 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22937 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22938 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22939 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22945 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22947 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22948 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22949 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22950 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22952 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22953 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22954 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22955 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22956 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22957 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22958 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22961 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22962 write the following:
22965 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22968 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22969 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22970 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22973 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22974 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22975 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22976 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22977 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22979 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22980 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22981 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22985 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22989 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22992 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22993 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22996 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22999 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23000 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23003 @include gnus-faq.texi