10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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294 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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303 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
305 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
308 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
309 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
310 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
311 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
312 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
313 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
314 License'' in the Emacs manual.
316 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
317 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
318 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
320 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
321 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
322 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
323 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
331 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
333 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
334 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
336 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
337 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
338 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
339 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
340 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
341 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
342 License'' in the Emacs manual.
344 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
345 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
346 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
348 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
349 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
350 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
351 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
359 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
362 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
363 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
365 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
367 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
368 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
369 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
370 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
371 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
372 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
373 License'' in the Emacs manual.
375 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
376 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
377 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
379 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
380 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
381 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
382 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
391 @top The Gnus Newsreader
395 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
396 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
397 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
400 This manual corresponds to Gnus v5.10.2.
411 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
412 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
414 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
415 being accused of plagiarism:
417 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
418 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
419 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
420 can even read news with it!
422 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
423 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
424 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
425 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
426 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
432 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
433 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
434 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
435 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
436 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
437 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
438 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
439 * Various:: General purpose settings.
440 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
441 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
442 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
443 * Key Index:: Key Index.
445 Other related manuals
447 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
448 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
449 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
450 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
453 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
457 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
458 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
459 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
460 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
461 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
462 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
463 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
464 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
465 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
466 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
467 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
471 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
472 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
473 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
477 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
478 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
479 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
480 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
481 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
482 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
483 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
484 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
485 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
486 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
487 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
488 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
489 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
490 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
491 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
492 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
493 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
497 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
498 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
499 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
503 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
504 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
505 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
506 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
507 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
511 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
512 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
513 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
514 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
515 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
519 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
520 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
521 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
522 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
523 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
524 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
525 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
526 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
527 * Threading:: How threads are made.
528 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
529 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
530 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
531 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
532 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
533 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
534 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
535 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
536 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
537 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
538 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
539 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
540 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
541 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
542 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
543 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
544 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
545 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
546 or reselecting the current group.
547 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
548 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
549 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
550 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
552 Summary Buffer Format
554 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
555 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
556 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
557 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
561 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
562 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
564 Reply, Followup and Post
566 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
567 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
568 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
569 * Canceling and Superseding::
573 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
574 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
575 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
576 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
577 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
578 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
582 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
583 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
585 Customizing Threading
587 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
588 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
589 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
590 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
594 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
595 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
596 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
597 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
598 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
599 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
603 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
604 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
605 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
609 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
610 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
611 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
612 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
613 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
614 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
615 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
616 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
617 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
618 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
619 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
621 Alternative Approaches
623 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
624 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
626 Various Summary Stuff
628 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
629 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
630 * Summary Generation Commands::
631 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
635 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
636 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
637 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
638 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
639 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
643 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
644 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
645 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
646 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
647 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
648 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
649 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
650 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
654 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
655 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
656 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
657 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
658 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
659 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
660 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
661 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
665 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
666 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
667 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
668 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
669 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
670 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
671 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
675 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
676 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
680 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
681 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
682 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
686 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
687 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
688 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
689 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
690 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
691 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
692 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
693 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
694 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
695 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
696 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
697 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
698 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
702 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
703 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
704 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
706 Choosing a Mail Back End
708 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
709 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
710 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
711 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
712 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
713 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
714 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
719 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
720 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
721 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
722 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
723 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
724 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
728 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
729 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
730 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
731 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
732 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
733 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
737 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
738 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
739 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
740 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
741 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
745 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
749 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
750 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
751 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
755 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
756 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
760 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
761 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
762 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
763 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
764 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
765 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
766 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
767 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
768 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
769 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
770 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
771 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
772 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
776 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
777 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
778 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
782 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
783 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
784 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
788 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
789 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
790 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
791 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
792 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
793 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
794 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
795 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
796 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
797 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
798 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
799 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
800 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
801 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
802 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
803 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
804 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
808 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
809 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
810 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
811 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
815 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
816 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
817 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
821 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
822 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
823 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
824 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
825 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
826 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
827 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
828 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
829 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
830 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
831 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
832 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
833 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
834 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
835 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
836 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
837 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
838 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
839 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
843 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
844 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
845 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
846 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
847 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
848 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
849 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
850 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
854 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
855 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
856 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
857 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
858 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
862 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
863 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
864 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
865 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
866 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
867 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
869 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
871 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
873 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
874 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
876 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
878 * ifile spam filtering::
879 * spam-stat spam filtering::
881 * Extending the spam elisp package::
883 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
885 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
886 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
887 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
891 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
892 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
893 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
894 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
895 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
896 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
897 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
898 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
899 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ.
903 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
904 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
905 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
906 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
907 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
908 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
909 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
910 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
911 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
915 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
916 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
917 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
918 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
919 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
920 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
924 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
925 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
926 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
927 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
931 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
932 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
933 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
934 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
935 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
936 * Group Info:: The group info format.
937 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
938 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
939 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
943 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
944 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
945 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
946 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
947 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
948 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
952 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
953 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
957 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
958 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
964 @chapter Starting Gnus
969 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
970 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
973 @findex gnus-other-frame
974 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
975 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
976 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
978 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
979 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
980 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
982 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
983 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
986 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
987 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
988 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
989 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
990 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
991 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
992 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
993 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
994 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
995 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
996 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
1000 @node Finding the News
1001 @section Finding the News
1002 @cindex finding news
1004 @vindex gnus-select-method
1006 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
1007 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1008 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1009 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1012 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1013 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1016 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1019 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1022 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1025 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1026 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1027 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1029 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1031 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1032 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1033 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1034 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1035 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1036 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1037 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1039 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1040 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1041 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1042 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1044 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1045 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1046 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1047 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1048 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1049 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1050 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1051 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1052 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1055 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1057 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1058 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1059 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1060 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1061 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1062 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1064 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1066 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1067 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1068 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1069 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1070 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1071 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1074 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1075 you would typically set this variable to
1078 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1082 @node The First Time
1083 @section The First Time
1084 @cindex first time usage
1086 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1087 be subscribed by default.
1089 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1090 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1091 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1092 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1095 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1096 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1097 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1099 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1100 help you with most common problems.
1102 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1103 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1107 @node The Server is Down
1108 @section The Server is Down
1109 @cindex server errors
1111 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1112 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1113 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1115 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1116 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1117 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1118 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1119 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1120 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1121 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1123 @findex gnus-no-server
1124 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1126 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1127 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1128 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1129 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1130 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1131 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1132 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1136 @section Slave Gnusae
1139 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1140 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1141 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1142 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1144 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1145 @file{.newsrc} file.
1147 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1148 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1149 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1150 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1151 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1152 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1153 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1156 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1157 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1158 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1159 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1160 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1161 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1162 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1163 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1165 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1166 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1168 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1169 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1170 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1171 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1172 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1174 @node Fetching a Group
1175 @section Fetching a Group
1176 @cindex fetching a group
1178 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1179 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1180 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1181 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1182 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1183 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1189 @cindex subscription
1191 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1192 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1193 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1194 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1195 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1196 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1197 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1198 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1199 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1202 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1203 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1204 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1208 @node Checking New Groups
1209 @subsection Checking New Groups
1211 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1212 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1213 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1214 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1215 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1216 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1217 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1218 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1219 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1220 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1222 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1223 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1224 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1225 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1226 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1227 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1228 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1229 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1230 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1231 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1232 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1234 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1235 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1236 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1237 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1238 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1239 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1242 @node Subscription Methods
1243 @subsection Subscription Methods
1245 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1246 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1247 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1249 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1250 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1252 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1256 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1257 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1258 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1259 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1260 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1262 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1263 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1264 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1265 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1267 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1268 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1269 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1271 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1272 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1273 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1274 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1275 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1276 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1277 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1278 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1279 up. Or something like that.
1281 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1282 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1283 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1284 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1285 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1287 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1288 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1289 Kill all new groups.
1291 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1292 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1293 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1294 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1295 topic parameter that looks like
1301 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1304 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1309 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1310 A closely related variable is
1311 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1312 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1313 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1314 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1317 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1318 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1319 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1320 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1323 @node Filtering New Groups
1324 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1326 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1327 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1328 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1331 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1334 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1335 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1336 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1337 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1338 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1339 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1340 subscribing these groups.
1341 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1342 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1344 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1345 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1346 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1347 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1348 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1349 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1350 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1351 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1353 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1354 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1355 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1356 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1357 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1358 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1359 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1360 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1361 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1362 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1365 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1366 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1369 @node Changing Servers
1370 @section Changing Servers
1371 @cindex changing servers
1373 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1374 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1375 very flaky and you want to use another.
1377 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1378 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1382 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1383 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1384 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1385 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1388 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1389 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1390 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1391 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1393 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1394 @findex gnus-change-server
1395 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1396 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1397 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1398 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1399 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1401 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1402 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1403 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1404 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1405 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1407 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1408 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1409 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1410 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1411 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1412 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1414 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1415 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1416 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1417 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1419 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1420 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1421 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1422 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1423 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1424 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1425 cache for all groups).
1429 @section Startup Files
1430 @cindex startup files
1435 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1436 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1438 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1439 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1440 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1441 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1442 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1443 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1444 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1446 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1447 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1448 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1449 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1450 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1451 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1453 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1454 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1455 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1456 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1457 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1458 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1459 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1460 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1461 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1462 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1464 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1465 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1466 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1467 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1468 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1469 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1470 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1471 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1472 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1473 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1474 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1475 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1477 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1478 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1479 @vindex version-control
1480 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1481 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1482 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1483 If you want version control for this file, set
1484 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1485 @code{version-control} variable.
1487 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1488 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1489 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1490 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1491 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1492 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1493 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1494 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1495 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1496 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1499 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1500 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1502 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1503 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1506 @vindex gnus-init-file
1507 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1508 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1509 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1510 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1511 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1512 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1513 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1514 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1515 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1516 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1522 @cindex dribble file
1525 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1526 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1527 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1528 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1529 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1532 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1533 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1536 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1537 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1538 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1540 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1541 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1542 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1543 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1544 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1545 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1547 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1548 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1549 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1552 @node The Active File
1553 @section The Active File
1555 @cindex ignored groups
1557 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1558 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1559 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1561 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1562 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1563 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1564 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1565 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1566 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1567 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1570 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1571 @c if you set it to anything else.
1573 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1575 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1576 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1577 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1579 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1580 you actually subscribe to.
1582 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1583 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1584 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1585 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1587 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1588 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1589 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1590 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1591 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1592 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1594 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1595 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1596 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1599 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1600 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1601 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1602 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1603 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1604 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1606 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1607 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1609 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1610 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1612 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1613 secondary select methods.
1616 @node Startup Variables
1617 @section Startup Variables
1621 @item gnus-load-hook
1622 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1623 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1624 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1625 times you start Gnus.
1627 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1628 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1629 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1631 @item gnus-startup-hook
1632 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1633 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1635 @item gnus-started-hook
1636 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1637 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1640 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1641 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1642 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1643 generating the group buffer.
1645 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1646 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1647 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1648 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1649 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1650 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1651 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1652 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1654 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1655 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1656 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1657 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1658 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1659 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1661 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1662 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1663 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1665 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1666 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1667 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1669 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1670 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1671 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1672 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1678 @chapter Group Buffer
1679 @cindex group buffer
1681 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1683 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1684 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1685 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1686 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1687 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1688 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1689 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1690 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1691 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1692 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1693 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1694 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1695 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1696 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1697 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1698 @c human rights at 9...
1701 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1702 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1703 long as Gnus is active.
1707 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1708 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1709 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1710 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1711 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1712 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1713 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1714 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1720 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1721 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1722 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1723 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1724 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1725 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1726 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1727 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1728 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1729 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1730 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1731 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1732 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1733 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1734 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1735 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1736 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1740 @node Group Buffer Format
1741 @section Group Buffer Format
1744 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1745 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1746 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1750 @node Group Line Specification
1751 @subsection Group Line Specification
1752 @cindex group buffer format
1754 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1755 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1757 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1760 25: news.announce.newusers
1761 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1766 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1767 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1768 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1769 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1771 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1772 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1773 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1774 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1775 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1776 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1778 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1780 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1781 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1782 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1783 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1784 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1786 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1787 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1788 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1790 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1795 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1798 Whether the group is subscribed.
1801 Level of subscribedness.
1804 Number of unread articles.
1807 Number of dormant articles.
1810 Number of ticked articles.
1813 Number of read articles.
1816 Number of unseen articles.
1819 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1820 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1822 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1823 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1824 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1825 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1826 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1827 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1828 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1829 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1832 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1835 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1844 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1845 comment element in the group parameters.
1848 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1849 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1850 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1854 @samp{m} if moderated.
1857 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1863 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1869 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1873 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1876 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1877 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1878 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1879 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1880 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1883 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1885 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1889 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1892 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1896 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1897 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1898 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1899 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1900 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1901 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1906 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1907 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1908 group, or a bogus native group.
1911 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1912 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1913 @cindex group mode line
1915 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1916 The mode line can be changed by setting
1917 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1918 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1922 The native news server.
1924 The native select method.
1928 @node Group Highlighting
1929 @subsection Group Highlighting
1930 @cindex highlighting
1931 @cindex group highlighting
1933 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1934 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1935 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1936 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1937 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1939 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1943 (cond (window-system
1944 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1945 (defface my-group-face-1
1946 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1947 (defface my-group-face-2
1948 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1949 "Second group face")
1950 (defface my-group-face-3
1951 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1952 (defface my-group-face-4
1953 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1954 (defface my-group-face-5
1955 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1957 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1958 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1959 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1960 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1961 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1962 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1965 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1967 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1974 The number of unread articles in the group.
1978 Whether the group is a mail group.
1980 The level of the group.
1982 The score of the group.
1984 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1986 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1987 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1989 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1990 topic being inserted.
1993 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1994 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1995 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1997 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1998 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1999 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
2000 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2001 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2004 @node Group Maneuvering
2005 @section Group Maneuvering
2006 @cindex group movement
2008 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2009 expected, hopefully.
2015 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2016 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2017 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2023 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2024 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2025 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2029 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2030 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2034 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2035 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2039 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2040 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2041 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2045 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2046 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2047 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2050 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2056 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2057 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2058 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2063 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2064 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2065 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2069 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2070 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2071 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2074 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2075 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2076 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2077 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2081 @node Selecting a Group
2082 @section Selecting a Group
2083 @cindex group selection
2088 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2089 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2090 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2091 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2092 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2093 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2094 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2095 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2096 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2097 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2099 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2100 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2101 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2103 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2104 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2109 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2110 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2111 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2112 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2113 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2117 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2118 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2119 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2120 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2121 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2122 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2123 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2124 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2125 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2126 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2129 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2130 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2131 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2132 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2133 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2136 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2137 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2138 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2139 doing any processing of its contents
2140 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2141 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2142 manner will have no permanent effects.
2146 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2147 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2148 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2149 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2150 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2151 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2152 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2153 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2154 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2155 most recently will be fetched.
2157 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2158 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2159 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2162 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2163 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2164 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2165 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2166 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2167 Which article this is is controlled by the
2168 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2174 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2177 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2180 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2182 @item unseen-or-unread
2183 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2184 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2188 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2192 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2193 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2195 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2196 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2197 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2198 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2202 @node Subscription Commands
2203 @section Subscription Commands
2204 @cindex subscription
2212 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2213 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2214 Toggle subscription to the current group
2215 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2221 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2222 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2223 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2224 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2230 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2231 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2232 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2238 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2239 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2242 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2243 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2244 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2245 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2246 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2252 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2253 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2257 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2258 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2261 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2262 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2263 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2264 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2265 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2266 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2267 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2268 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2269 @file{.newsrc} file.
2273 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2283 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2284 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2285 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2286 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2287 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2288 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2293 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2294 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2295 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2299 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2300 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2301 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2303 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2304 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2305 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2306 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2307 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2308 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2315 @section Group Levels
2319 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2320 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2321 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2322 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2323 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2325 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2331 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2332 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2333 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2334 prompted for a level.
2337 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2338 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2339 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2340 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2341 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2342 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2343 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2344 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2345 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2346 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2347 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2348 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2349 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2350 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2351 reasons of efficiency.
2353 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2354 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2356 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2357 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2358 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2359 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2360 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2361 groups are hidden, in a way.
2363 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2364 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2365 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2366 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2367 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2368 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2370 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2371 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2372 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2373 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2374 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2375 list of killed groups.)
2377 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2378 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2379 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2381 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2382 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2383 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2384 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2385 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2386 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2387 relevant valid ranges.
2389 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2390 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2391 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2392 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2393 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2394 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2397 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2398 one with the best level.
2400 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2401 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2402 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2405 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2406 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2407 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2408 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2411 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2412 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2413 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2414 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2416 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2417 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2418 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2419 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2420 to 5. The default is 6.
2424 @section Group Score
2429 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2430 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2431 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2434 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2435 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2436 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2437 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2438 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2439 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2440 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2441 least significant part.))
2443 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2444 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2445 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2446 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2447 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2448 action after each summary exit, you can add
2449 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2450 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2451 slow things down somewhat.
2454 @node Marking Groups
2455 @section Marking Groups
2456 @cindex marking groups
2458 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2459 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2460 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2461 bidding on those groups.
2463 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2464 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2465 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2473 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2474 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2480 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2481 Remove the mark from the current group
2482 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2486 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2487 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2491 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2492 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2496 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2497 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2501 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2502 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2503 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2506 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2508 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2509 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2510 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2511 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2512 the command to be executed.
2515 @node Foreign Groups
2516 @section Foreign Groups
2517 @cindex foreign groups
2519 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2520 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2521 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2522 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2529 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2530 @cindex making groups
2531 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2532 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2533 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2537 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2538 @cindex renaming groups
2539 Rename the current group to something else
2540 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2541 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2547 @findex gnus-group-customize
2548 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2552 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2553 @cindex renaming groups
2554 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2555 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2559 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2560 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2561 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2565 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2566 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2567 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2571 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2573 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2574 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2579 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2580 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2584 @cindex (ding) archive
2585 @cindex archive group
2586 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2587 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2588 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2589 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2590 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2591 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2592 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2596 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2598 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2599 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2600 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2601 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2605 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2607 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2608 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2609 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2613 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2614 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2616 Make a group based on some file or other
2617 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2618 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2619 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2620 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2621 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2622 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2623 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2624 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2625 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2629 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2630 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2631 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2632 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2636 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2640 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2641 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2642 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2643 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2644 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2645 @xref{Web Searches}.
2647 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2648 to a particular group by using a match string like
2649 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2653 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2654 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2655 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2659 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2660 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2661 This function will delete the current group
2662 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2663 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2664 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2665 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2666 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2670 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2671 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2672 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2676 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2677 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2678 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2681 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2684 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2685 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2686 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2687 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2688 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2689 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2693 @node Group Parameters
2694 @section Group Parameters
2695 @cindex group parameters
2697 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2698 Here's an example group parameter list:
2701 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2705 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2706 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2707 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2708 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2710 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2711 is an alist of regexps and values.
2713 The following group parameters can be used:
2718 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2721 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2724 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2725 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2726 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2727 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2728 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2730 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2731 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2732 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2733 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2734 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2735 list address instead.
2737 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2741 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2744 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2747 It is totally ignored
2748 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2749 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2751 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2752 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2753 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2754 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2755 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2757 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2758 @cindex mail list groups
2759 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2760 entering summary buffer.
2762 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2767 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2768 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2769 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2770 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2771 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2772 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2773 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2774 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2777 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2778 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2781 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2782 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2786 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2787 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2788 of whether it has any unread articles.
2790 @item broken-reply-to
2791 @cindex broken-reply-to
2792 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2793 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2794 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2795 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2796 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2797 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2801 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2802 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2806 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2807 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2808 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2813 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2814 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2815 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2816 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2817 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2818 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2819 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2821 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2822 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2823 doesn't accept articles.
2827 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2828 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2829 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2831 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2834 @cindex total-expire
2835 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2836 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2837 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2838 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2841 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2845 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2846 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2847 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2848 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2849 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2850 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2851 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2854 @cindex expiry-target
2855 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2856 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2859 @cindex score file group parameter
2860 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2861 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2862 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2865 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2866 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2867 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2868 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2871 @cindex admin-address
2872 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2873 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2874 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2875 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2879 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2880 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2884 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2887 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2888 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2891 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2895 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2897 Here are some examples:
2901 Display only unread articles.
2904 Display everything except expirable articles.
2906 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2907 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2911 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2912 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2913 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2914 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2915 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2919 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2920 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2921 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2925 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2926 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2927 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2931 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2932 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2933 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2935 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2937 @item ignored-charsets
2938 @cindex ignored-charset
2939 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2940 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2941 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2943 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2946 @cindex posting-style
2947 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2948 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2949 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2950 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2951 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2953 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2954 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2955 like this in the group parameters:
2960 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2961 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2966 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2967 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2971 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2972 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2973 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2974 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2975 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2979 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2980 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2981 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2982 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2984 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2985 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2986 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2987 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2990 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2991 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2995 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
2996 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
2998 @item (agent parameters)
2999 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3000 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3001 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3002 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3003 minimize the configuration effort.
3005 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3006 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3007 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3008 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3009 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3010 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3011 @code{eval}ed there.
3013 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3014 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3015 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3016 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3017 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3018 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3019 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3020 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3023 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3026 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3027 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3028 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3031 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3034 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3035 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3036 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3037 into the group parameters for the group.
3039 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
3040 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
3041 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
3042 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
3043 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
3047 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3048 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3049 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3050 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3051 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3053 @vindex gnus-parameters
3054 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3055 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3059 (setq gnus-parameters
3061 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3062 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3063 (gnus-summary-line-format
3064 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3068 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3072 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3076 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3079 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3080 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3083 @node Listing Groups
3084 @section Listing Groups
3085 @cindex group listing
3087 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3095 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3096 List all groups that have unread articles
3097 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3098 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3099 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3100 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3107 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3108 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3109 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3110 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3111 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3112 unsubscribed groups).
3116 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3117 List all unread groups on a specific level
3118 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3119 with no unread articles.
3123 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3124 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3125 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3126 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3131 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3132 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3136 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3137 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3138 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3142 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3143 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3147 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3148 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3149 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3150 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3151 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3152 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3153 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3154 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3158 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3159 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3160 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3164 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3165 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3166 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3170 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3171 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3175 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3176 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3180 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3181 List groups limited within the current selection
3182 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3186 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3187 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3191 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3192 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3196 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3197 @cindex visible group parameter
3198 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3199 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3200 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3201 get the same effect.
3203 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3204 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3205 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3206 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3207 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3210 @node Sorting Groups
3211 @section Sorting Groups
3212 @cindex sorting groups
3214 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3215 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3216 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3217 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3218 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3219 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3224 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3225 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3226 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3228 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3229 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3230 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3232 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3233 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3234 Sort by group level.
3236 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3237 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3238 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3240 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3241 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3242 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3243 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3245 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3246 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3247 Sort by number of unread articles.
3249 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3250 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3251 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3253 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3254 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3255 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3260 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3261 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3265 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3266 some sorting criteria:
3270 @kindex G S a (Group)
3271 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3272 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3273 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3276 @kindex G S u (Group)
3277 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3278 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3279 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3282 @kindex G S l (Group)
3283 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3284 Sort the group buffer by group level
3285 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3288 @kindex G S v (Group)
3289 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3290 Sort the group buffer by group score
3291 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3294 @kindex G S r (Group)
3295 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3296 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3297 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3300 @kindex G S m (Group)
3301 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3302 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3303 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3306 @kindex G S n (Group)
3307 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3308 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3309 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3313 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3314 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3316 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3317 commands will sort in reverse order.
3319 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3323 @kindex G P a (Group)
3324 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3325 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3326 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3329 @kindex G P u (Group)
3330 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3331 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3332 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3335 @kindex G P l (Group)
3336 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3337 Sort the groups by group level
3338 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3341 @kindex G P v (Group)
3342 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3343 Sort the groups by group score
3344 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3347 @kindex G P r (Group)
3348 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3349 Sort the groups by group rank
3350 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3353 @kindex G P m (Group)
3354 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3355 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3356 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3359 @kindex G P n (Group)
3360 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3361 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3362 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3365 @kindex G P s (Group)
3366 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3367 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3371 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3375 @node Group Maintenance
3376 @section Group Maintenance
3377 @cindex bogus groups
3382 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3383 Find bogus groups and delete them
3384 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3388 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3389 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3390 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3391 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3392 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3396 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3397 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3398 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3399 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3400 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3401 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3404 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3405 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3406 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3407 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3412 @node Browse Foreign Server
3413 @section Browse Foreign Server
3414 @cindex foreign servers
3415 @cindex browsing servers
3420 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3421 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3422 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3423 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3426 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3427 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3428 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3429 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3431 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3436 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3437 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3441 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3442 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3445 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3446 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3447 Enter the current group and display the first article
3448 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3451 @kindex RET (Browse)
3452 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3453 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3457 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3458 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3459 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3465 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3466 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3470 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3471 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3475 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3476 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3477 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3482 @section Exiting Gnus
3483 @cindex exiting Gnus
3485 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3490 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3491 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3492 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3493 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3497 @findex gnus-group-exit
3498 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3499 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3503 @findex gnus-group-quit
3504 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3505 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3508 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3509 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3510 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3511 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3512 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3513 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3519 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3520 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3521 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3527 @section Group Topics
3530 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3531 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3532 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3533 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3534 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3535 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3539 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3540 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3551 2: alt.religion.emacs
3554 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3556 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3557 13: comp.sources.unix
3560 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3562 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3563 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3564 is a toggling command.)
3566 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3567 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3568 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3569 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3572 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3573 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3574 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3577 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3581 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3582 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3583 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3584 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3585 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3589 @node Topic Commands
3590 @subsection Topic Commands
3591 @cindex topic commands
3593 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3594 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3595 definitions slightly.
3597 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3598 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3599 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3600 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3601 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3602 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3604 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3611 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3612 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3613 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3617 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3619 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3620 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3621 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3622 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3625 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3626 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3627 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3628 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3632 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3633 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3634 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3635 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3641 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3642 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3643 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3647 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3648 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3649 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3652 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3653 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3654 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3655 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3656 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3658 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3659 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3663 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3664 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3671 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3673 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3674 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3675 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3676 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3677 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3678 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3682 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3688 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3689 Move the current group to some other topic
3690 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3691 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3695 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3696 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3700 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3701 Copy the current group to some other topic
3702 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3703 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3707 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3708 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3709 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3713 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3714 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3715 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3719 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3720 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3721 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3722 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3723 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3724 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3725 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3728 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3729 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3733 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3734 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3735 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3739 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3740 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3741 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3745 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3746 Toggle hiding empty topics
3747 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3751 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3752 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3753 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3754 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3757 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3758 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3759 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3760 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3761 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3764 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3765 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3766 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3767 expiry process (if any)
3768 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3772 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3773 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3776 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3777 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3778 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3782 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3783 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3784 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3787 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3788 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3789 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3792 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3793 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3794 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3798 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3799 @cindex group parameters
3800 @cindex topic parameters
3802 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3803 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3808 @node Topic Variables
3809 @subsection Topic Variables
3810 @cindex topic variables
3812 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3813 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3815 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3816 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3817 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3830 Number of groups in the topic.
3832 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3834 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3837 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3838 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3839 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3842 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3843 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3845 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3846 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3847 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3851 @subsection Topic Sorting
3852 @cindex topic sorting
3854 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3860 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3861 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3862 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3863 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3866 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3867 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3868 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3869 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3872 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3873 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3874 Sort the current topic by group level
3875 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3878 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3879 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3880 Sort the current topic by group score
3881 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3884 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3885 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3886 Sort the current topic by group rank
3887 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3890 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3891 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3892 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3893 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3896 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3897 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3898 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3899 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3902 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3903 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3904 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3905 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3906 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3910 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3911 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3915 @node Topic Topology
3916 @subsection Topic Topology
3917 @cindex topic topology
3920 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3927 2: alt.religion.emacs
3930 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3932 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3933 13: comp.sources.unix
3937 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3938 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3939 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3944 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3945 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3949 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3950 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3951 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3952 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3953 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3954 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3956 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3957 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3958 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3961 @node Topic Parameters
3962 @subsection Topic Parameters
3963 @cindex topic parameters
3965 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
3966 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
3967 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
3968 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
3969 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
3971 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3976 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3977 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3978 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3981 @item subscribe-level
3982 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3983 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3984 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3988 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3989 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3990 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3991 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3998 2: alt.religion.emacs
4002 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4004 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4005 13: comp.sources.unix
4010 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4011 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4012 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4013 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4014 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4015 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4017 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4018 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4019 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4020 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4021 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4023 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4024 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4025 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4026 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4027 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4028 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4029 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4030 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4033 @node Misc Group Stuff
4034 @section Misc Group Stuff
4037 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4038 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4039 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4040 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4041 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4048 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4049 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4050 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4054 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4055 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4056 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4057 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4058 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4059 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4060 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4064 @findex gnus-group-mail
4065 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4066 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4067 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4068 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4072 @findex gnus-group-news
4073 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4074 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4075 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4077 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4078 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4079 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4080 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4081 for this to work though.
4085 Variables for the group buffer:
4089 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4090 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4091 is called after the group buffer has been
4094 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4095 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4096 is called after the group buffer is
4097 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4100 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4101 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4102 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4103 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4105 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4106 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4107 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4108 whether they are empty or not.
4110 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4111 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4112 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4113 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4117 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4118 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4121 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4122 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4123 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4124 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4125 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4126 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4127 default is @code{nil}.
4131 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4132 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4137 @node Scanning New Messages
4138 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4139 @cindex new messages
4140 @cindex scanning new news
4146 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4147 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4148 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4149 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4150 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4151 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4156 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4157 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4158 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4159 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4160 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4161 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4162 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4164 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4165 @cindex activating groups
4167 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4168 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4173 @findex gnus-group-restart
4174 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4175 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4176 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4180 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4181 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4183 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4184 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4188 @node Group Information
4189 @subsection Group Information
4190 @cindex group information
4191 @cindex information on groups
4198 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4199 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4202 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4203 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4204 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4205 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4206 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4207 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4208 used for fetching the file.
4210 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4211 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4215 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4216 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4218 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4219 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4222 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4223 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4224 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4228 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4229 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4230 @cindex control message
4231 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4232 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4233 group if given a prefix argument.
4235 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4236 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4237 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4238 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4240 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4241 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4242 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4246 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4248 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4249 @cindex describing groups
4250 @cindex group description
4251 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4252 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4253 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4257 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4258 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4259 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4266 @findex gnus-version
4267 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4271 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4272 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4275 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4278 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4279 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4283 @node Group Timestamp
4284 @subsection Group Timestamp
4286 @cindex group timestamps
4288 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4289 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4290 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4293 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4296 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4298 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4299 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4302 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4303 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4306 This will result in lines looking like:
4309 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4310 0: custom 19961002T012713
4313 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4314 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4318 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4319 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4322 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4323 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4327 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4328 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4329 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4330 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4332 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4338 @subsection File Commands
4339 @cindex file commands
4345 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4346 @vindex gnus-init-file
4347 @cindex reading init file
4348 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4349 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4353 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4354 @cindex saving .newsrc
4355 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4356 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4357 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4360 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4361 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4362 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4367 @node Sieve Commands
4368 @subsection Sieve Commands
4369 @cindex group sieve commands
4371 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4372 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4373 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4374 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4375 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4377 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4378 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4379 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4380 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4381 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4382 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4383 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4384 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4385 regenerate the Sieve script.
4387 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4388 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4389 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4390 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4391 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4392 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4393 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4394 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4395 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4396 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4399 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4400 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4405 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4411 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4412 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4413 @cindex generating sieve script
4414 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4415 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4419 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4420 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4421 @cindex updating sieve script
4422 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4423 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4424 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4429 @node Summary Buffer
4430 @chapter Summary Buffer
4431 @cindex summary buffer
4433 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4434 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4436 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4437 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4439 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4442 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4443 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4444 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4445 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4446 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4447 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4448 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4449 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4450 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4451 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4452 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4453 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4454 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4455 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4456 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4457 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4458 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4459 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4460 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4461 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4462 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4463 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4464 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4465 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4466 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4467 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4468 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4469 or reselecting the current group.
4470 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4471 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4472 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4473 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4477 @node Summary Buffer Format
4478 @section Summary Buffer Format
4479 @cindex summary buffer format
4483 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4484 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4485 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4491 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4492 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4493 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4494 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4497 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4498 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4499 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4500 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4501 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4502 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4503 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4504 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4505 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4506 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4507 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4510 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4511 'mail-extract-address-components)
4514 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4515 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4516 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4517 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4520 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4521 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4523 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4524 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4525 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4526 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4527 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4529 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4530 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4531 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4532 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4533 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4534 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4536 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4538 The following format specification characters and extended format
4539 specification(s) are understood:
4545 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4546 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4548 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4549 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4550 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4552 Full @code{From} header.
4554 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4556 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4559 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4560 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4561 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4562 may be more thorough.
4564 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4567 Number of lines in the article.
4569 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4570 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4572 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4573 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4575 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4577 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4578 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4591 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4592 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4593 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4594 line-drawing glyphs.
4596 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4597 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4598 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4599 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4601 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4602 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4603 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4604 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4606 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4607 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4608 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4609 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4611 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4612 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4613 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4615 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4616 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4617 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4619 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4620 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4621 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4623 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4624 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4625 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4630 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4631 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4633 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4634 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4636 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4637 for adopted articles.
4639 One space for each thread level.
4641 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4643 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4646 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4647 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4648 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4651 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4653 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4654 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4655 default level. If the difference between
4656 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4657 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4665 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4667 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4673 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4674 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4676 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4677 article has any children.
4683 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4684 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4686 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4687 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4688 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4689 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4690 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4691 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4694 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4695 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4696 There can only be one such area.
4698 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4699 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4700 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4701 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4702 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4703 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4705 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4706 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4708 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4711 @node To From Newsgroups
4712 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4716 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4717 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4718 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4719 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4720 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4724 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4725 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4726 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4730 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4731 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4734 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4735 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4738 @findex gnus-extra-header
4739 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4740 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4741 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4744 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4748 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4749 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4750 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4751 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4752 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4753 headers are used instead.
4757 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4758 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4759 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4760 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4761 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4762 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4765 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4766 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4767 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4768 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4770 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4774 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4776 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4777 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4778 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4779 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4783 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4786 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4787 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4790 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4791 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4792 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4798 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4799 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4802 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4803 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4805 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4806 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4807 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4808 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4810 Here are the elements you can play with:
4816 Unprefixed group name.
4818 Current article number.
4820 Current article score.
4824 Number of unread articles in this group.
4826 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4829 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4830 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4831 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4832 and no unselected ones.
4834 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4835 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4837 Subject of the current article.
4839 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4841 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4843 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4845 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4847 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4849 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4853 @node Summary Highlighting
4854 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4858 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4859 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4860 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4861 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4862 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4864 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4865 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4866 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4867 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4869 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4870 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4871 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4872 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4874 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4875 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4876 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4877 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4878 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4879 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4882 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4883 ((> score default) . bold))
4885 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4886 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4890 @node Summary Maneuvering
4891 @section Summary Maneuvering
4892 @cindex summary movement
4894 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4895 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4897 None of these commands select articles.
4902 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4903 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4904 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4905 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4906 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4910 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4911 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4912 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4913 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4914 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4917 @kindex G g (Summary)
4918 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4919 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4920 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4923 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4924 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4925 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4926 to the group buffer.
4928 Variables related to summary movement:
4932 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4933 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4934 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4935 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4936 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4937 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4938 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4939 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4940 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4941 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4942 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4943 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4944 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4945 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4947 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4948 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4949 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4950 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4951 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4952 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4953 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4955 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4957 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4958 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4959 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4960 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4961 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4963 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4964 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4965 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4966 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4967 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4968 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4969 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4970 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4973 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4974 the given number of lines from the top.
4979 @node Choosing Articles
4980 @section Choosing Articles
4981 @cindex selecting articles
4984 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4985 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4989 @node Choosing Commands
4990 @subsection Choosing Commands
4992 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4993 and they all select and display an article.
4995 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4996 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5000 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5001 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5002 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5003 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5005 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5006 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5007 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5012 @kindex G n (Summary)
5013 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5014 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5015 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5020 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5021 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5022 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5027 @kindex G N (Summary)
5028 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5029 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5034 @kindex G P (Summary)
5035 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5036 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5039 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5040 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5041 Go to the next article with the same subject
5042 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5045 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5046 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5047 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5048 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5052 @kindex G f (Summary)
5054 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5055 Go to the first unread article
5056 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5060 @kindex G b (Summary)
5062 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5063 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5064 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5065 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5070 @kindex G l (Summary)
5071 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5072 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5075 @kindex G o (Summary)
5076 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5078 @cindex article history
5079 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5080 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5081 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5082 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5083 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5084 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5089 @kindex G j (Summary)
5090 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5091 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5092 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5097 @node Choosing Variables
5098 @subsection Choosing Variables
5100 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5103 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5104 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5105 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5106 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5107 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5108 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5110 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5111 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5112 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5113 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5114 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5115 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5117 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5118 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5119 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5120 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5121 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5122 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5123 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5124 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5125 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5126 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5127 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5128 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5129 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5130 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5135 @node Paging the Article
5136 @section Scrolling the Article
5137 @cindex article scrolling
5142 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5143 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5144 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5145 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5146 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5148 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5149 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5150 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5151 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5152 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5153 what is considered uninteresting with
5154 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5155 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5158 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5159 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5160 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5163 @kindex RET (Summary)
5164 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5165 Scroll the current article one line forward
5166 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5169 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5170 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5171 Scroll the current article one line backward
5172 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5176 @kindex A g (Summary)
5178 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5179 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5180 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5181 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5182 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5183 the way it came from the server.
5185 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5186 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5187 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5190 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5195 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5200 @kindex A < (Summary)
5201 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5202 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5203 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5208 @kindex A > (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5210 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5214 @kindex A s (Summary)
5216 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5217 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5218 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5222 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5223 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5228 @node Reply Followup and Post
5229 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5232 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5233 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5234 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5235 * Canceling and Superseding::
5239 @node Summary Mail Commands
5240 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5242 @cindex composing mail
5244 Commands for composing a mail message:
5250 @kindex S r (Summary)
5252 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5253 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5254 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5255 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5256 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5261 @kindex S R (Summary)
5262 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5263 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5264 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5265 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5266 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5269 @kindex S w (Summary)
5270 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5271 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5272 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5273 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5274 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5275 present, that's used instead.
5278 @kindex S W (Summary)
5279 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5280 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5281 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5282 the process/prefix convention.
5285 @kindex S v (Summary)
5286 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5287 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5288 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5289 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5290 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5291 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5294 @kindex S V (Summary)
5295 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5296 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5297 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5298 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5301 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5302 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5303 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5304 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5305 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5306 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5307 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5308 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5311 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5312 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5313 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5314 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5315 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5319 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5320 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5321 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5322 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5323 Forward the current article to some other person
5324 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5325 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5326 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5327 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5328 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5329 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5330 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5331 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5332 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5338 @kindex S m (Summary)
5339 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5340 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5341 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5342 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5343 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5348 @kindex S i (Summary)
5349 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5350 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5351 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5352 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5354 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5355 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5356 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5357 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5358 for this to work though.
5361 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5362 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5363 @cindex bouncing mail
5364 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5365 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5366 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5367 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5368 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5369 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5370 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5371 very well fail, though.
5374 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5375 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5376 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5377 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5378 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5379 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5380 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5381 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5382 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5383 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5385 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5386 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5387 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5388 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5389 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5391 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5392 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5395 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5396 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5397 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5398 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5399 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5402 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5403 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5404 @cindex crossposting
5405 @cindex excessive crossposting
5406 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5407 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5409 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5410 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5411 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5412 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5413 command understands the process/prefix convention
5414 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5418 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5419 Manual}, for more information.
5422 @node Summary Post Commands
5423 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5425 @cindex composing news
5427 Commands for posting a news article:
5433 @kindex S p (Summary)
5434 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5435 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5436 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5437 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5438 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5443 @kindex S f (Summary)
5444 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5445 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5446 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5450 @kindex S F (Summary)
5452 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5453 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5454 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5455 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5456 process/prefix convention.
5459 @kindex S n (Summary)
5460 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5461 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5462 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5465 @kindex S N (Summary)
5466 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5467 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5468 message through mail and include the original message
5469 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5470 the process/prefix convention.
5473 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5474 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5475 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5476 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5477 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5478 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5479 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5480 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5481 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5482 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5483 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5484 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5485 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5488 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5489 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5491 @cindex making digests
5492 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5493 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5494 process/prefix convention.
5497 @kindex S u (Summary)
5498 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5499 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5500 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5501 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5504 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5505 Manual}, for more information.
5508 @node Summary Message Commands
5509 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5513 @kindex S y (Summary)
5514 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5515 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5516 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5517 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5518 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5523 @node Canceling and Superseding
5524 @subsection Canceling Articles
5525 @cindex canceling articles
5526 @cindex superseding articles
5528 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5529 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5531 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5533 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5535 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5536 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5537 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5538 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5539 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5540 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5542 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5543 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5546 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5547 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5548 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5550 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5551 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5552 your original article.
5554 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5556 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5557 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5558 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5561 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5562 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5563 have posted almost the same article twice.
5565 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5566 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5567 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5568 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5569 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5570 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5571 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5572 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5573 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5574 canceled/superseded.
5576 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5578 @node Delayed Articles
5579 @section Delayed Articles
5580 @cindex delayed sending
5581 @cindex send delayed
5583 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5584 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5585 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5586 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5589 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5592 @findex gnus-delay-article
5593 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5594 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5595 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5596 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5600 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5601 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5602 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5603 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5606 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5607 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5608 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5611 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5612 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5613 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5614 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5615 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5616 that means a time tomorrow.
5619 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5620 couple of variables:
5623 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5624 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5625 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5626 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5628 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5629 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5630 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5631 formats described above.
5633 @item gnus-delay-group
5634 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5635 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5636 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5637 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5639 @item gnus-delay-header
5640 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5641 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5642 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5643 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5646 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5647 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5648 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5649 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5650 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5652 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5653 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5654 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5655 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5656 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5657 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5658 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5661 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5662 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5663 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5664 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5665 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5666 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5667 argument is ignored.
5669 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5670 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5671 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5675 @node Marking Articles
5676 @section Marking Articles
5677 @cindex article marking
5678 @cindex article ticking
5681 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5683 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5684 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5685 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5687 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5690 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5691 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5692 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5696 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5700 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5701 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5702 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5706 @node Unread Articles
5707 @subsection Unread Articles
5709 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5714 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5715 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5717 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5718 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5719 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5720 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5721 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5722 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5723 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5726 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5727 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5729 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5730 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5731 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5732 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5736 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5737 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5739 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5744 @subsection Read Articles
5745 @cindex expirable mark
5747 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5752 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5753 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5754 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5757 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5758 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5761 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5762 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5763 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5766 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5767 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5770 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5771 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5774 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5775 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5778 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5779 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5782 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5783 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5786 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5787 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5790 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5791 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5795 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5796 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5797 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5801 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5802 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5804 One more special mark, though:
5808 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5809 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5811 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5812 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5813 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5814 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5820 @subsection Other Marks
5821 @cindex process mark
5824 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5830 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5831 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5832 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5833 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5834 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5837 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5838 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5839 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5840 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5843 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5844 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5845 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5848 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5849 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5850 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5853 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5854 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5855 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5856 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5859 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5860 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5861 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5862 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5863 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5864 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5867 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5868 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5869 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5870 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5873 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5874 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5875 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5876 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5877 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5881 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5882 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5883 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5884 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5885 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5886 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5889 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5890 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5891 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5892 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5893 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5894 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5898 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5899 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5900 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5901 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5902 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5905 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5906 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5907 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5908 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5909 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5910 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5914 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5915 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5916 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5918 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5919 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5920 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5924 @subsection Setting Marks
5925 @cindex setting marks
5927 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5932 @kindex M c (Summary)
5933 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5934 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5935 @cindex mark as unread
5936 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5937 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5943 @kindex M t (Summary)
5944 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5945 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5946 @xref{Article Caching}.
5951 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5952 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5953 Mark the current article as dormant
5954 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5958 @kindex M d (Summary)
5960 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5961 Mark the current article as read
5962 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5966 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5967 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5968 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5973 @kindex M k (Summary)
5974 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5975 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5976 and then select the next unread article
5977 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5981 @kindex M K (Summary)
5982 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5983 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5984 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5985 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5988 @kindex M C (Summary)
5989 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5990 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5991 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5994 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5995 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5996 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5997 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6000 @kindex M H (Summary)
6001 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6002 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6003 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6006 @kindex M h (Summary)
6007 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6008 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6009 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6012 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6013 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6014 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6015 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6018 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6019 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6020 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6021 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6025 @kindex M e (Summary)
6027 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6028 Mark the current article as expirable
6029 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6032 @kindex M b (Summary)
6033 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6034 Set a bookmark in the current article
6035 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6038 @kindex M B (Summary)
6039 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6040 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6041 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6044 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6045 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6046 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6047 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6050 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6051 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6052 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6053 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6056 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6057 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6058 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6059 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6060 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6063 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6064 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6065 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6066 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6067 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6068 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6069 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6070 The default is @code{t}.
6073 @node Generic Marking Commands
6074 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6076 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6077 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6078 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6079 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6080 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6083 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6084 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6087 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6088 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6089 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6090 to list in this manual.
6092 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6093 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6094 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6095 article, you could say something like:
6099 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6100 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6101 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6109 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6110 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6114 @node Setting Process Marks
6115 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6116 @cindex setting process marks
6118 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6119 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6120 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6121 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6122 commands into the cache. For more information,
6123 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6130 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6131 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6132 Mark the current article with the process mark
6133 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6134 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6138 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6139 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6140 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6141 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6144 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6145 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6146 Remove the process mark from all articles
6147 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6150 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6151 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6152 Invert the list of process marked articles
6153 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6156 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6157 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6158 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6159 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6162 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6163 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6164 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6165 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6168 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6169 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6170 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6173 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6174 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6175 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6178 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6179 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6180 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6181 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6184 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6185 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6186 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6187 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6190 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6191 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6192 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6193 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6196 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6197 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6198 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6201 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6202 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6203 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6204 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6207 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6208 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6209 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6212 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6213 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6214 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6215 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6218 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6219 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6220 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6221 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6224 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6225 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6226 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6227 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6230 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6231 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6232 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6233 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6237 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6238 set process marks based on article body contents.
6245 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6246 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6247 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6250 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6251 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6252 additional articles.
6258 @kindex / / (Summary)
6259 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6260 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6261 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6265 @kindex / a (Summary)
6266 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6267 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6268 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6272 @kindex / x (Summary)
6273 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6274 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6275 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6276 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6281 @kindex / u (Summary)
6283 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6284 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6285 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6286 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6287 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6290 @kindex / m (Summary)
6291 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6292 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6293 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6296 @kindex / t (Summary)
6297 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6298 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6299 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6300 articles younger than that number of days.
6303 @kindex / n (Summary)
6304 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6305 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6306 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6307 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6310 @kindex / w (Summary)
6311 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6312 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6313 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6317 @kindex / . (Summary)
6318 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6319 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6320 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6323 @kindex / v (Summary)
6324 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6325 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6326 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6329 @kindex / p (Summary)
6330 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6331 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6332 group parameter predicate
6333 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6334 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6338 @kindex M S (Summary)
6339 @kindex / E (Summary)
6340 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6341 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6342 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6345 @kindex / D (Summary)
6346 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6347 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6348 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6351 @kindex / * (Summary)
6352 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6353 Include all cached articles in the limit
6354 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6357 @kindex / d (Summary)
6358 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6359 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6360 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6363 @kindex / M (Summary)
6364 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6365 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6368 @kindex / T (Summary)
6369 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6370 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6373 @kindex / c (Summary)
6374 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6375 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6376 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6379 @kindex / C (Summary)
6380 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6381 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6382 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6383 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6386 @kindex / N (Summary)
6387 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6388 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6389 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6392 @kindex / o (Summary)
6393 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6394 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6395 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6403 @cindex article threading
6405 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6406 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6407 hierarchical fashion.
6409 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6410 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6411 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6412 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6413 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6414 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6415 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6417 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6421 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6424 A tree-like article structure.
6427 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6430 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6431 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6432 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6433 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6434 called loose threads.
6436 @item thread gathering
6437 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6439 @item sparse threads
6440 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6441 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6447 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6448 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6452 @node Customizing Threading
6453 @subsection Customizing Threading
6454 @cindex customizing threading
6457 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6458 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6459 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6460 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6465 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6468 @cindex loose threads
6471 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6472 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6473 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6474 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6475 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6476 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6478 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6479 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6480 There are four possible values:
6484 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6485 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6486 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6487 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6488 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6493 @cindex adopting articles
6498 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6499 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6500 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6501 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6504 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6505 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6506 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6507 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6508 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6509 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6510 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6511 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6512 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6513 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6516 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6517 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6518 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6522 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6523 display them after one another.
6526 Don't gather loose threads.
6529 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6530 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6531 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6532 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6533 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6534 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6535 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6536 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6537 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6538 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6539 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6541 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6542 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6543 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6546 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6547 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6548 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6549 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6550 simplification is used.
6552 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6553 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6554 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6555 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6557 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6559 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6565 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6566 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6567 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6568 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6573 (mapconcat 'identity
6574 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6576 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6579 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6582 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6583 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6584 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6585 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6586 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6587 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6589 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6592 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6593 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6594 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6596 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6597 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6600 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6601 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6602 Remove excessive whitespace.
6604 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6605 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6606 Remove all whitespace.
6609 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6612 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6613 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6614 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6615 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6616 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6617 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6618 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6619 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6621 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6622 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6623 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6624 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6625 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6626 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6627 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6628 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6629 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6633 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6634 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6635 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6636 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6638 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6639 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6640 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6643 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6647 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6648 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6654 @node Filling In Threads
6655 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6658 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6659 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6660 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6661 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6662 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6663 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6664 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6665 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6666 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6667 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6668 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6669 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6672 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6673 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6674 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6676 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6677 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6678 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6681 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6682 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6683 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6684 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6685 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6686 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6687 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6688 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6689 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6690 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6691 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6692 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6693 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6694 @code{nil} by default.
6696 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6697 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6698 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6699 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6700 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6701 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6702 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6704 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6705 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6706 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6711 @node More Threading
6712 @subsubsection More Threading
6715 @item gnus-show-threads
6716 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6717 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6718 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6719 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6720 slower and more awkward.
6722 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6723 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6724 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6727 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6728 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6729 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6734 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6735 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6736 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6739 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6740 unread, but you get my drift.)
6743 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6744 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6745 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6746 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6747 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6748 threads are expunged.
6750 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6751 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6752 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6755 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6756 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6757 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6758 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6759 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6760 result in a new thread.
6762 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6763 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6764 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6767 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6768 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6769 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6770 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6771 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6772 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6773 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6774 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6775 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6776 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6777 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6782 @node Low-Level Threading
6783 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6787 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6788 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6789 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6791 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6792 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6793 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6794 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6795 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6796 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6797 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6798 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6799 meaningful. Here's one example:
6802 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6804 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6805 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6807 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6809 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6816 @node Thread Commands
6817 @subsection Thread Commands
6818 @cindex thread commands
6824 @kindex T k (Summary)
6825 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6826 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6827 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6828 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6829 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6834 @kindex T l (Summary)
6835 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6836 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6837 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6838 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6841 @kindex T i (Summary)
6842 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6843 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6844 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6847 @kindex T # (Summary)
6848 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6849 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6850 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6853 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6854 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6855 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6856 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6859 @kindex T T (Summary)
6860 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6861 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6864 @kindex T s (Summary)
6865 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6866 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6867 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6870 @kindex T h (Summary)
6871 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6872 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6875 @kindex T S (Summary)
6876 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6877 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6880 @kindex T H (Summary)
6881 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6882 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6885 @kindex T t (Summary)
6886 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6887 Re-thread the current article's thread
6888 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6889 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6892 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6893 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6894 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6895 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6899 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6900 understand the numeric prefix.
6905 @kindex T n (Summary)
6907 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6909 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6910 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6911 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6914 @kindex T p (Summary)
6916 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6918 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6919 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6920 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6923 @kindex T d (Summary)
6924 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6925 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6928 @kindex T u (Summary)
6929 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6930 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6933 @kindex T o (Summary)
6934 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6935 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6938 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6939 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6940 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6941 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6942 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6943 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6944 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6945 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6946 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6947 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6948 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6949 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6953 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6954 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6956 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6957 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6958 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6959 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6960 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6961 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6962 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6963 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6964 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
6965 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
6966 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6967 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6968 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6969 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6971 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6972 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6973 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6974 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6975 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6976 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6977 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6978 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6980 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6981 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6982 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6984 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6985 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6986 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6987 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6988 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6989 ascending article order.
6991 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6992 by number, you could do something like:
6995 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6996 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6997 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6998 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7001 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7002 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7003 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7004 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7005 which the articles arrived.
7007 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7011 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7013 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7014 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7017 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7018 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7019 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7020 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7023 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7024 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7025 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7026 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7027 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7028 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7029 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7030 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7031 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7032 variable. It is very similar to the
7033 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7034 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7035 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7036 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7037 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7038 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7039 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7041 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7045 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7046 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7047 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7052 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7053 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7054 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7055 @cindex article pre-fetch
7058 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7059 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7060 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7061 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7062 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7064 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7065 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7067 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7068 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7069 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7070 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7071 connection is blocked.
7073 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7074 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7075 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7076 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7078 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7079 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7080 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7081 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7084 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7087 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7088 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7089 happen automatically.
7091 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7092 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7093 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7094 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7095 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7096 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7097 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7099 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7100 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7101 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7102 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7103 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7104 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7105 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7106 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7107 article data structure as the only parameter.
7109 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7110 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7113 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7114 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7115 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7116 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7119 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7122 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7123 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7124 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7126 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7127 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7128 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7129 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7133 Remove articles when they are read.
7136 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7139 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7141 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7142 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7143 @c from the next group.
7146 @node Article Caching
7147 @section Article Caching
7148 @cindex article caching
7151 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7152 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7153 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7154 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7155 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7157 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7159 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7160 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7161 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7162 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7163 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7164 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7165 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7166 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7168 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7169 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7170 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7171 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7172 as dormant, and don't worry.
7174 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7176 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7177 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7178 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7179 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7180 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7181 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7182 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7183 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7184 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7185 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7187 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7188 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7189 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7190 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7191 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7192 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7193 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7194 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7195 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7196 not then be downloaded by this command.
7198 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7199 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7200 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7201 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7202 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7203 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7205 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7206 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7207 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7208 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7209 variables, the group is not cached.
7211 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7212 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7213 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7214 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7215 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7216 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7217 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7218 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7219 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7222 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7223 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7224 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7225 where, isn't that cool?
7227 @node Persistent Articles
7228 @section Persistent Articles
7229 @cindex persistent articles
7231 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7232 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7233 useful in my opinion.
7235 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7236 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7237 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7238 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7239 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7240 the expiry going on at the news server.
7242 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7243 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7244 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7250 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7251 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7254 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7255 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7256 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7257 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7261 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7263 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7264 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7265 interested in persistent articles:
7268 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7272 @node Article Backlog
7273 @section Article Backlog
7275 @cindex article backlog
7277 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7278 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7279 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7280 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7281 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7282 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7283 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7284 increase memory usage some.
7286 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7287 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7288 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7289 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7290 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7291 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7292 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7294 The default value is 20.
7297 @node Saving Articles
7298 @section Saving Articles
7299 @cindex saving articles
7301 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7302 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7303 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7304 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7305 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7307 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7308 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7309 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7311 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7312 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7313 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7315 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7316 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7317 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7318 deleted before saving.
7324 @kindex O o (Summary)
7326 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7327 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7328 Save the current article using the default article saver
7329 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7332 @kindex O m (Summary)
7333 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7334 Save the current article in mail format
7335 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7338 @kindex O r (Summary)
7339 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7340 Save the current article in Rmail format
7341 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7344 @kindex O f (Summary)
7345 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7346 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7347 Save the current article in plain file format
7348 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7351 @kindex O F (Summary)
7352 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7353 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7354 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7357 @kindex O b (Summary)
7358 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7359 Save the current article body in plain file format
7360 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7363 @kindex O h (Summary)
7364 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7365 Save the current article in mh folder format
7366 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7369 @kindex O v (Summary)
7370 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7371 Save the current article in a VM folder
7372 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7376 @kindex O p (Summary)
7378 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7379 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7380 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7381 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7382 complete headers in the piped output.
7385 @kindex O P (Summary)
7386 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7387 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7388 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7389 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7390 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7391 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7392 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7396 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7397 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7398 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7399 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7400 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7401 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7402 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7403 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7404 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7405 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7406 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7407 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7411 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7412 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7413 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7414 functions below, or you can create your own.
7418 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7419 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7420 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7421 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7422 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7423 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7424 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7426 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7427 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7428 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7429 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7430 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7431 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7433 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7434 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7435 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7436 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7437 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7438 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7439 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7441 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7442 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7443 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7444 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7445 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7446 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7448 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7449 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7450 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7451 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7452 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7454 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7455 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7456 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7457 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7458 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7461 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7462 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7463 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7464 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7465 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7467 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7468 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7469 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7470 reader to use this setting.
7473 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7474 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7475 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7476 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7479 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7480 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7481 available functions that generate names:
7485 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7486 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7487 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7489 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7490 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7491 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7493 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7494 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7495 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7497 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7498 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7499 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7501 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7502 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7503 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7506 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7507 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7508 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7509 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7510 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7514 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7515 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7516 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7517 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7520 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7521 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7522 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7523 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7524 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7525 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7526 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7527 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7528 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7530 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7531 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7532 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7533 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7535 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7536 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7537 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7540 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7541 lots of mail groups called things like
7542 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7543 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7544 following will do just that:
7547 (defun my-save-name (group)
7548 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7549 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7551 (setq gnus-split-methods
7552 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7557 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7558 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7559 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7560 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7561 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7562 all the files in the top level directory
7563 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7564 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7565 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7566 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7568 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7569 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7570 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7571 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7572 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7575 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7579 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7580 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7581 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7584 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7585 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7586 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7587 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7590 @node Decoding Articles
7591 @section Decoding Articles
7592 @cindex decoding articles
7594 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7595 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7598 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7599 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7600 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7601 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7602 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7603 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7607 @cindex article series
7608 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7609 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7610 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7611 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7612 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7614 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7615 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7616 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7618 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7619 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7620 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7622 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7623 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7624 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7627 @node Uuencoded Articles
7628 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7630 @cindex uuencoded articles
7635 @kindex X u (Summary)
7636 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7637 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7638 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7641 @kindex X U (Summary)
7642 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7643 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7644 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7647 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7648 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7649 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7652 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7653 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7654 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7655 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7659 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7660 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7661 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7662 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7663 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7665 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7666 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7667 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7668 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7671 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7672 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7673 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7674 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7675 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7676 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7680 @node Shell Archives
7681 @subsection Shell Archives
7683 @cindex shell archives
7684 @cindex shared articles
7686 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7687 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7688 some commands to deal with these:
7693 @kindex X s (Summary)
7694 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7695 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7698 @kindex X S (Summary)
7699 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7700 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7703 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7704 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7705 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7708 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7709 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7710 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7711 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7715 @node PostScript Files
7716 @subsection PostScript Files
7722 @kindex X p (Summary)
7723 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7724 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7727 @kindex X P (Summary)
7728 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7729 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7730 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7733 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7734 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7735 View the current PostScript series
7736 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7739 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7740 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7741 View and save the current PostScript series
7742 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7747 @subsection Other Files
7751 @kindex X o (Summary)
7752 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7753 Save the current series
7754 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7757 @kindex X b (Summary)
7758 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7759 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7760 doesn't really work yet.
7764 @node Decoding Variables
7765 @subsection Decoding Variables
7767 Adjective, not verb.
7770 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7771 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7772 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7776 @node Rule Variables
7777 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7778 @cindex rule variables
7780 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7781 variables are of the form
7784 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7791 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7792 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7794 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7795 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7798 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7799 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7802 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7803 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7804 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7805 user and default view rules.
7807 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7808 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7809 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7814 @node Other Decode Variables
7815 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7818 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7820 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7821 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7822 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7823 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7824 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7828 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7829 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7832 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7833 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7834 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7837 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7838 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7839 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7840 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7841 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7844 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7845 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7846 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7848 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7849 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7850 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7851 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7852 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7855 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7856 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7857 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7859 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7860 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7861 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7862 looking for files to display.
7864 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7865 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7866 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7869 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7870 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7871 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7874 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7875 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7876 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7879 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7880 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7881 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7884 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7885 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7886 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7887 decoded articles as unread.
7889 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7890 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7891 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7892 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7894 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7895 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7896 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7898 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7899 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7901 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7902 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7903 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7904 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7906 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7907 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7908 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7909 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7910 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7911 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7912 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7913 simply dropped them.
7918 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7919 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7923 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7924 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7925 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7926 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7927 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7928 for you when you post the article.
7930 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7931 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7932 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7933 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7935 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7936 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7937 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7938 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7939 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7940 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7941 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7943 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7944 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7945 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7946 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7947 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7948 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7949 Default is @code{t}.
7955 @subsection Viewing Files
7956 @cindex viewing files
7957 @cindex pseudo-articles
7959 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7960 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7961 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7962 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7963 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7964 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7965 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7967 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7968 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7969 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7970 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7972 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7973 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7974 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7976 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7977 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7978 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7979 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7980 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7982 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7983 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7984 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7985 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7986 a list of parameters to that command.
7988 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7989 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7990 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7992 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7993 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7994 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7997 @node Article Treatment
7998 @section Article Treatment
8000 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8001 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8002 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8003 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8004 these articles easier.
8007 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8008 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8009 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8010 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8011 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8012 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8013 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8014 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8015 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8016 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8017 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8021 @node Article Highlighting
8022 @subsection Article Highlighting
8023 @cindex highlighting
8025 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8026 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8031 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8032 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8033 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8034 Do much highlighting of the current article
8035 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8036 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8039 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8040 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8041 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8042 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8043 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8044 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8045 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8046 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8047 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8048 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8049 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8050 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8053 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8054 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8055 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8057 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8060 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8062 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8063 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8064 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8066 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8067 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8068 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8070 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8071 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8072 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8073 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8074 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8075 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8077 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8078 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8079 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8081 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8082 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8083 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8085 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8086 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8087 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8088 that it's a citation.
8090 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8091 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8092 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8094 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8095 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8096 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8098 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8099 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8100 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8101 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8107 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8108 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8109 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8110 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8111 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8112 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8113 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8114 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8119 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8122 @node Article Fontisizing
8123 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8125 @cindex article emphasis
8127 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8128 @kindex W e (Summary)
8129 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8130 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8131 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8132 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8134 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8135 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8136 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8137 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8138 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8139 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8140 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8141 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8145 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8146 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8147 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8156 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8157 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8158 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8159 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8160 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8161 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8162 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8163 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8164 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8165 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8166 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8167 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8168 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8170 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8171 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8172 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8176 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8179 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8181 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8182 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8183 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8184 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8186 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8189 @node Article Hiding
8190 @subsection Article Hiding
8191 @cindex article hiding
8193 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8194 too much cruft in most articles.
8199 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8200 @findex gnus-article-hide
8201 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8202 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8203 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8206 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8207 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8208 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8212 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8213 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8214 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8215 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8218 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8219 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8220 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8224 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8225 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8226 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8227 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8228 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8229 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8230 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8231 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8235 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8236 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8237 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8238 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8243 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8244 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8245 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8246 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8249 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8250 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8251 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8252 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8255 @cindex stripping advertisements
8256 @cindex advertisements
8257 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8258 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8259 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8260 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8261 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8262 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8263 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8264 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8265 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8266 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8269 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8270 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8271 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8275 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8276 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8277 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8278 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8279 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8280 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8281 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8282 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8283 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8284 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8285 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8288 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8289 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8295 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8296 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8297 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8298 customizing the hiding:
8302 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8303 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8304 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8305 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8306 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8307 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8308 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8313 Starting point of the hidden text.
8315 Ending point of the hidden text.
8317 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8319 Number of lines of hidden text.
8322 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8323 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8324 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8325 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8326 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8331 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8332 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8334 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8335 following two variables:
8338 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8339 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8340 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8341 50), hide the cited text.
8343 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8344 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8345 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8350 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8351 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8352 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8353 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8354 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8355 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8359 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8360 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8361 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8363 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8364 citation customization.
8366 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8370 @node Article Washing
8371 @subsection Article Washing
8373 @cindex article washing
8375 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8376 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8378 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8379 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8382 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8383 articles by default.
8388 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8389 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8393 Force redisplaying of the current article
8394 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8395 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8396 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8397 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8400 @kindex W l (Summary)
8401 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8402 Remove page breaks from the current article
8403 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8407 @kindex W r (Summary)
8408 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8409 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8410 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8411 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8412 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8413 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8415 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8416 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8417 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8418 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8421 @kindex W m (Summary)
8422 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8423 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8427 @kindex W t (Summary)
8429 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8430 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8431 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8434 @kindex W v (Summary)
8435 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8436 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8437 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8440 @kindex W o (Summary)
8441 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8442 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8445 @kindex W d (Summary)
8446 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8447 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8449 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8451 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8452 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8453 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8454 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8457 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8458 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8459 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8460 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8463 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8464 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8465 @cindex Outlook Express
8466 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8467 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8468 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8471 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8472 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8473 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8474 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8475 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8476 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8477 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8478 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8479 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8480 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8483 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8484 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8485 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8486 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8489 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8490 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8491 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8492 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8495 @kindex W w (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8497 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8499 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8503 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8504 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8505 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8508 @kindex W C (Summary)
8509 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8510 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8511 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8514 @kindex W c (Summary)
8515 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8516 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8517 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8518 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8519 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8522 @kindex W q (Summary)
8523 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8524 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8525 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8526 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8527 makes strings like @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which
8528 doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually done
8529 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8530 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8531 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8534 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8535 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8536 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8537 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8538 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8539 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8540 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8541 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8544 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8545 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8546 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8547 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8548 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8551 @kindex W u (Summary)
8552 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8553 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8554 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8555 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8556 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8559 @kindex W h (Summary)
8560 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8561 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8562 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8563 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8565 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8567 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8568 The default is to use the function specified by
8569 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8570 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8571 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8572 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8580 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8583 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8586 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8589 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8594 @kindex W b (Summary)
8595 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8596 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8597 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8600 @kindex W B (Summary)
8601 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8602 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8603 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8606 @kindex W p (Summary)
8607 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8608 Verify a signed control message
8609 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8610 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8611 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8612 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8613 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8614 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8617 @kindex W s (Summary)
8618 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8619 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8620 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8621 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8624 @kindex W a (Summary)
8625 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8626 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8627 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8630 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8631 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8632 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8633 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8636 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8637 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8638 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8639 lines with a single empty line.
8640 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8643 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8644 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8645 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8646 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8649 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8650 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8651 Do all the three commands above
8652 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8655 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8656 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8657 Remove all blank lines
8658 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8661 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8662 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8663 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8664 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8667 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8668 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8669 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8670 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8674 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8677 @node Article Header
8678 @subsection Article Header
8680 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8685 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8686 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8687 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8690 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8691 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8692 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8693 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8696 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8697 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8698 Fold all the message headers
8699 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8702 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8703 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8704 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8705 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8710 @node Article Buttons
8711 @subsection Article Buttons
8714 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8715 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8716 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8717 button on these references.
8719 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8720 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8721 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8722 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8723 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8727 @item gnus-button-alist
8728 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8729 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8732 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8738 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8739 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8740 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8741 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8742 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8745 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8746 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8747 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8750 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8751 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8752 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8753 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8754 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8756 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8759 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8762 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8763 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8767 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8770 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8773 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8774 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8775 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8776 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8777 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8780 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8783 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8786 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8789 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8790 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8792 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8794 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8795 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8796 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8797 default values of the variables above.
8799 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8801 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8802 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8803 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8804 argument with a string naming the man page.
8806 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8808 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8809 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8810 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8812 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8813 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8814 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8815 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8816 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8817 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8818 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8819 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8820 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8821 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8822 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8823 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8825 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8826 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8827 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8828 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8829 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8832 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8833 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8834 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8835 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8837 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8839 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8840 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8841 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8842 argument, the string naming the URL.
8845 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8846 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8847 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8851 @item gnus-article-button-face
8852 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8853 Face used on buttons.
8855 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8856 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8857 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8861 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8864 @node Article Button Levels
8865 @subsection Article button levels
8866 @cindex button levels
8867 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8868 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8869 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8870 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8871 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8872 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8873 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8874 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8877 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8878 (setq gnus-parameters
8879 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8880 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8881 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8886 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8887 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8888 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8889 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8890 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8891 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8893 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8894 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8895 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8896 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8897 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8898 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8899 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8900 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8901 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8902 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8903 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8904 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8905 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8907 @item gnus-button-man-level
8908 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8909 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8910 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8912 @item gnus-button-message-level
8913 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8914 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8915 Related variables and functions include
8916 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8917 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8918 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8919 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8921 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8922 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8923 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8924 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8925 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8926 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8927 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8933 @subsection Article Date
8935 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8936 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8937 when the article was sent.
8942 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8943 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8944 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8945 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8948 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8949 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8951 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8952 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8955 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8956 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8957 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8960 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8961 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8962 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8963 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8966 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8967 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8968 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8969 @findex format-time-string
8970 Display the date using a user-defined format
8971 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8972 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8973 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8974 for a list of possible format specs.
8977 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8978 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8979 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8980 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8981 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8982 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8985 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8988 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
8989 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8990 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8993 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8994 into wonderful absurdities.
8996 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8999 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9002 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9003 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9007 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9008 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9009 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9010 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9011 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9012 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9013 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9017 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9018 preferred format automatically.
9021 @node Article Display
9022 @subsection Article Display
9027 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9028 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9030 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9031 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9033 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9034 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9036 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9037 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9039 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9040 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9042 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9047 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9048 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9049 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9050 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9053 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9054 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9055 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9056 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9059 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9060 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9061 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9064 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9065 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9066 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9069 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9070 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9071 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9072 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9075 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9076 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9077 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9078 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9081 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9082 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9083 Remove all images from the article buffer
9084 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9090 @node Article Signature
9091 @subsection Article Signature
9093 @cindex article signature
9095 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9096 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9097 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9098 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9099 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9100 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9101 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9102 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9103 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9106 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9107 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9108 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9109 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9110 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9111 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9112 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9113 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9116 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9119 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9120 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9121 signature when displaying articles.
9125 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9128 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9131 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9132 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9134 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9135 in question is not a signature.
9138 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9139 listed above. Here's an example:
9142 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9143 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9146 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9147 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9148 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9149 signature after all.
9152 @node Article Miscellanea
9153 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9157 @kindex A t (Summary)
9158 @findex gnus-article-babel
9159 Translate the article from one language to another
9160 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9166 @section MIME Commands
9167 @cindex MIME decoding
9169 @cindex viewing attachments
9171 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9172 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9178 @kindex K v (Summary)
9179 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9182 @kindex K o (Summary)
9183 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9186 @kindex K c (Summary)
9187 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9190 @kindex K e (Summary)
9191 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9194 @kindex K i (Summary)
9195 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9198 @kindex K | (Summary)
9199 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9202 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9207 @kindex K b (Summary)
9208 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9209 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9213 @kindex K m (Summary)
9214 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9215 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9216 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9217 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9218 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9221 @kindex X m (Summary)
9222 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9223 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9224 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9225 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9228 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9229 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9230 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9231 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9234 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9235 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9236 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9237 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9240 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9241 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9242 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9243 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9245 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9246 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9247 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9248 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9249 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9250 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9253 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9254 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9255 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9256 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9263 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9264 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9265 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9266 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9269 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9272 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9276 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9277 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9278 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9279 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9280 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9281 default is @code{nil}.
9283 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9284 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9285 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9286 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9287 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9288 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9289 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9291 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9292 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9293 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9294 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9295 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9296 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9297 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9298 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9300 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9301 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9302 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9303 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9304 displayed. This variable overrides
9305 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9306 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9309 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9310 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9311 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9313 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9314 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9315 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9316 default value is @code{nil}.
9318 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9319 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9320 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9321 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9322 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9323 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9324 save all jpegs into some directory).
9326 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9329 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9330 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9332 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9333 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9334 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9335 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9336 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9339 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9340 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9341 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9343 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9344 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9345 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9346 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9348 Ready-made functions include@*
9349 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9350 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9351 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9352 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9353 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9354 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9355 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9356 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9357 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9358 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9359 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9360 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9362 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9363 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9365 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9366 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9367 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9370 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9371 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9372 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9373 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9377 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9386 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9387 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9388 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9389 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9390 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9391 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9392 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9394 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9395 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9396 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9397 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9399 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9400 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9401 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9402 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9403 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9404 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9405 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9406 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9407 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9409 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9410 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9411 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9412 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9413 quoted-printable header encoding.
9415 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9416 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9417 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9421 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9424 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9425 means encode all charsets),
9427 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9428 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9429 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9436 @cindex coding system aliases
9437 @cindex preferred charset
9439 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9441 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9442 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9445 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9446 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9449 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9450 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9452 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9455 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9458 This will almost do the right thing.
9460 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9464 (codepage-setup 1251)
9465 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9469 @node Article Commands
9470 @section Article Commands
9477 @kindex A P (Summary)
9478 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9479 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9480 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9481 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9482 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9483 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9488 @node Summary Sorting
9489 @section Summary Sorting
9490 @cindex summary sorting
9492 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9493 can't really see why you'd want that.
9498 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9499 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9500 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9503 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9504 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9505 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9508 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9509 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9510 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9513 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9514 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9515 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9518 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9519 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9520 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9523 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9524 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9525 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9528 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9529 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9530 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9533 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9534 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9535 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9538 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9539 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9540 Sort using the default sorting method
9541 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9544 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9545 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9546 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9547 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9548 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9552 @node Finding the Parent
9553 @section Finding the Parent
9554 @cindex parent articles
9555 @cindex referring articles
9560 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9561 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9562 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9563 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9564 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9565 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9566 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9567 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9568 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9570 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9571 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9572 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9573 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9574 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9578 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9579 @kindex A R (Summary)
9580 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9581 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9584 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9585 @kindex A T (Summary)
9586 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9587 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9588 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9589 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9590 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9591 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9592 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9594 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9595 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9596 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9597 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9598 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9599 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9602 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9603 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9605 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9606 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9607 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9608 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9609 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9610 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9611 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9614 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9615 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9616 by giving this command a prefix.
9618 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9619 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9620 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9621 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9622 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9623 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9626 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9627 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9628 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9631 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9632 then ask Google if that fails:
9635 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9637 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9640 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
9641 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9642 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9643 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9644 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9645 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9646 support this at all.
9649 @node Alternative Approaches
9650 @section Alternative Approaches
9652 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9653 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9656 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9657 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9662 @subsection Pick and Read
9663 @cindex pick and read
9665 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9666 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9667 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9668 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9670 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9671 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9672 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9673 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9674 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9675 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9677 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9682 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9683 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9684 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9685 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9686 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9687 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9688 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9689 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9692 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9693 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9694 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9695 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9699 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9700 Unpick the thread or article
9701 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9702 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9703 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9704 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9705 the thread or article at that line.
9709 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9710 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9711 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9712 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9713 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9714 will still be visible when you are reading.
9718 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9719 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9720 which is mapped to the same function
9721 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9723 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9726 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9729 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9730 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9732 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9733 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9734 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9736 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9737 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9738 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9739 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9740 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9741 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9742 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9746 @subsection Binary Groups
9747 @cindex binary groups
9749 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9750 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9751 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9752 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9753 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9754 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9755 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9758 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9759 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9760 command, when you have turned on this mode
9761 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9763 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9764 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9768 @section Tree Display
9771 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9772 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9773 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9774 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9777 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9780 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9781 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9782 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9784 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9785 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9786 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9787 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9788 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9790 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9791 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9792 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9793 default is @code{modeline}.
9795 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9796 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9797 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9798 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9799 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9800 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9801 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9807 The name of the poster.
9809 The @code{From} header.
9811 The number of the article.
9813 The opening bracket.
9815 The closing bracket.
9820 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9822 Variables related to the display are:
9825 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9826 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9827 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9828 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9830 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9831 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9832 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9834 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9836 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9837 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9838 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9839 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9843 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9844 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9845 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9846 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9847 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9848 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9849 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9850 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9851 other windows displayed next to it.
9853 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9857 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9858 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9861 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9862 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9863 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9864 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9865 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9866 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9867 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9871 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9874 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9884 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9889 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9890 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9892 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9894 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9900 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9901 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9902 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9905 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9906 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9907 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9908 (gnus-add-configuration
9912 (summary 0.75 point)
9917 @xref{Window Layout}.
9920 @node Mail Group Commands
9921 @section Mail Group Commands
9922 @cindex mail group commands
9924 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9925 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9927 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9928 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9933 @kindex B e (Summary)
9934 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9935 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9936 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9937 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9938 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9941 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9942 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9943 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9944 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9945 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9946 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9949 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9950 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9951 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9952 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9953 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9954 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9957 @kindex B m (Summary)
9959 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9960 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9961 Move the article from one mail group to another
9962 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9963 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9966 @kindex B c (Summary)
9968 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9969 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9970 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9971 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9972 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9975 @kindex B B (Summary)
9976 @cindex crosspost mail
9977 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9978 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9979 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9980 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9981 be properly updated.
9984 @kindex B i (Summary)
9985 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9986 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9987 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9988 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9991 @kindex B I (Summary)
9992 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9993 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9994 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9995 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9998 @kindex B r (Summary)
9999 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10000 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10001 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10002 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10003 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10004 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10005 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10006 (which is the default).
10010 @kindex B w (Summary)
10011 @kindex e (Summary)
10012 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10013 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10014 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10015 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10016 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10017 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10018 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10021 @kindex B q (Summary)
10022 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10023 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10024 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10025 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10028 @kindex B t (Summary)
10029 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10030 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10031 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10034 @kindex B p (Summary)
10035 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10036 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10037 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10038 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10039 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10040 article from your news server (or rather, from
10041 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10042 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10043 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10044 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10045 just not have arrived yet.
10048 @kindex K E (Summary)
10049 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10050 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10051 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10052 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10053 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10057 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10058 @cindex moving articles
10059 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10060 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10061 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10062 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10063 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10064 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10065 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10068 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10069 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10070 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10071 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10075 @node Various Summary Stuff
10076 @section Various Summary Stuff
10079 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10080 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10081 * Summary Generation Commands::
10082 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10086 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10087 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10088 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10089 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10090 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10091 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10093 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10094 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10095 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10098 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10099 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10100 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10102 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10103 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10104 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10105 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10106 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10107 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10110 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10111 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10112 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10113 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10114 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10116 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10117 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10118 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10121 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10122 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10123 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10124 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10125 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10126 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10127 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10128 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10129 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10130 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10132 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10133 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10134 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10135 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10136 list of articles to be selected.
10138 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10139 the list in one particular group:
10142 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10143 (if (string= group "some.group")
10144 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10148 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10149 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10150 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10151 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
10152 @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary buffer is
10153 active. These variables can be used to set variables in the group
10154 parameters while still allowing them to affect operations done in
10155 other buffers. For example:
10158 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10159 '(message-use-followup-to
10160 (gnus-visible-headers .
10161 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10167 @node Summary Group Information
10168 @subsection Summary Group Information
10173 @kindex H f (Summary)
10174 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10175 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10176 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10177 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10178 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10179 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10180 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10181 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10182 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10185 @kindex H d (Summary)
10186 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10187 Give a brief description of the current group
10188 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10189 rereading the description from the server.
10192 @kindex H h (Summary)
10193 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10194 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10195 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10198 @kindex H i (Summary)
10199 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10200 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10204 @node Searching for Articles
10205 @subsection Searching for Articles
10210 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10211 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10212 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10213 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10216 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10217 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10218 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10219 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10222 @kindex & (Summary)
10223 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10224 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10225 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10226 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10227 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10228 search backward instead.
10230 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10231 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10234 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10235 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10236 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10237 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10240 @node Summary Generation Commands
10241 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10246 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10247 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10248 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10251 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10252 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10253 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10254 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10257 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10258 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10259 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10260 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10265 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10266 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10272 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10273 @kindex A D (Summary)
10274 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10275 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10276 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10277 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10278 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10279 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10280 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10281 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10285 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10286 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10287 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10288 several documents into one biiig group
10289 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10290 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10291 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10292 command understands the process/prefix convention
10293 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10296 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10297 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10298 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10299 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10300 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10301 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10304 @kindex = (Summary)
10305 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10306 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10307 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10310 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10311 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10312 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10313 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10316 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10317 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10318 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10319 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10324 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10325 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10326 @cindex summary exit
10327 @cindex exiting groups
10329 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10330 group and return you to the group buffer.
10337 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10338 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10339 @kindex q (Summary)
10340 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10341 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10342 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10343 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10344 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10345 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10346 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10347 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10348 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10349 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10350 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10351 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10355 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10356 @kindex Q (Summary)
10357 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10358 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10359 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10363 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10364 @kindex c (Summary)
10365 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10366 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10367 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10368 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10371 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10372 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10373 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10374 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10377 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10378 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10379 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10380 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10384 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10385 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10386 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10387 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10388 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10389 all articles, both read and unread.
10393 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10394 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10395 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10396 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10397 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10398 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10399 articles, both read and unread.
10402 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10403 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10404 Exit the group and go to the next group
10405 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10408 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10409 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10410 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10411 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10414 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10415 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10416 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10417 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10418 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10419 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10422 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10423 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10424 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10425 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10427 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10428 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10429 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10430 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10431 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10432 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10433 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10434 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10435 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10436 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10437 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10438 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10440 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10442 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10443 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10444 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10445 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10446 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10447 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10448 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10449 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10450 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10453 @node Crosspost Handling
10454 @section Crosspost Handling
10458 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10459 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10460 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10461 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10462 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10463 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10466 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10467 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10468 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10469 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10470 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10472 @cindex cross-posting
10474 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10475 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10476 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10477 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10478 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10479 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10480 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10481 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10482 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10483 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10484 the cross reference mechanism.
10486 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10487 @cindex overview.fmt
10488 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10489 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10490 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10491 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10492 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10493 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10496 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10497 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10498 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10503 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10506 @node Duplicate Suppression
10507 @section Duplicate Suppression
10509 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10510 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10511 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10512 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10517 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10518 is evil and not very common.
10521 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10522 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10525 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10526 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10529 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10532 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10533 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10535 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10536 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10537 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10538 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10539 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10540 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10541 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10544 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10545 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10546 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10547 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10548 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10549 saw the article in.
10552 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10553 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10554 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10556 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10557 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10558 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10559 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10560 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10561 session are suppressed.
10563 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10564 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10565 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10566 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10568 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10569 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10570 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10571 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10574 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10575 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10576 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10577 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10578 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10579 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10580 to you to figure out, I think.
10585 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10586 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10587 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10592 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10593 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10594 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10595 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10598 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10599 or newer is recommended.
10603 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10604 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10607 @item mm-verify-option
10608 @vindex mm-verify-option
10609 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10610 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10611 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10613 @item mm-decrypt-option
10614 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10615 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10616 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10617 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10620 @vindex mml1991-use
10621 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10622 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10623 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10627 @vindex mml2015-use
10628 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10629 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10630 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10635 @cindex snarfing keys
10636 @cindex importing PGP keys
10637 @cindex PGP key ring import
10638 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10639 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10640 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10641 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10642 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10643 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10644 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10645 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10646 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10649 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10652 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10653 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10656 @section Mailing List
10657 @cindex mailing list
10660 @kindex A M (summary)
10661 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10662 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10663 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10664 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10667 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10672 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10673 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10674 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10677 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10678 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10679 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10682 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10683 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10684 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10688 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10689 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10690 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10693 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10694 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10695 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10698 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10699 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10700 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10705 @node Article Buffer
10706 @chapter Article Buffer
10707 @cindex article buffer
10709 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10710 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10711 tell Gnus otherwise.
10714 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10715 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10716 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10717 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10718 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10722 @node Hiding Headers
10723 @section Hiding Headers
10724 @cindex hiding headers
10725 @cindex deleting headers
10727 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10728 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10730 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10731 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10732 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10733 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10734 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10735 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10736 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10737 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10738 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10740 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10744 @item gnus-visible-headers
10745 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10746 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10747 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10748 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10750 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10751 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10754 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10757 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10760 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10761 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10762 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10763 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10764 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10765 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10767 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10768 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10771 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10774 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10777 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10778 variable will have no effect.
10782 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10783 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10784 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10785 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10786 the headers are to be displayed.
10788 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10789 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10792 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10795 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10796 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10798 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10799 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10800 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10801 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10802 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10803 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10804 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10807 These conditions are:
10810 Remove all empty headers.
10812 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10813 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10815 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
10816 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
10819 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10822 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10823 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10825 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10826 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10828 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10829 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10831 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10834 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10836 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10839 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10842 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10843 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10846 This is also the default value for this variable.
10850 @section Using MIME
10851 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10853 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10854 while people stand around yawning.
10856 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10857 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10859 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10860 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10861 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10863 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10864 @findex gnus-display-mime
10865 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10866 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10867 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10868 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
10870 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10871 @acronym{MIME} button:
10874 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10875 @item RET (Article)
10876 @kindex RET (Article)
10877 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10878 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
10879 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
10880 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10881 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10882 object is displayed inline.
10884 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10885 @item M-RET (Article)
10886 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10888 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
10889 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10891 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10893 @kindex t (Article)
10894 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
10895 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10897 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10899 @kindex C (Article)
10900 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
10901 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10903 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10905 @kindex o (Article)
10906 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
10907 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10909 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10910 @item C-o (Article)
10911 @kindex C-o (Article)
10912 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
10913 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10914 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10915 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
10916 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
10917 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10919 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
10921 @kindex d (Article)
10922 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
10923 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
10924 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
10926 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10928 @kindex c (Article)
10929 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10930 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
10931 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
10932 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
10933 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
10935 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10937 @kindex p (Article)
10938 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10939 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10940 @file{.mailcap} file.
10942 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10944 @kindex i (Article)
10945 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
10946 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10947 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10948 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10949 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
10952 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10954 @kindex E (Article)
10955 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10956 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10957 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10959 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10961 @kindex e (Article)
10962 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
10963 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10965 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10967 @kindex | (Article)
10968 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10970 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10972 @kindex . (Article)
10973 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
10974 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10978 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10979 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10980 @acronym{MIME} manual.
10982 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10983 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10984 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
10985 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10986 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10987 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10988 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10989 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10990 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10992 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10994 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10997 @node Customizing Articles
10998 @section Customizing Articles
10999 @cindex article customization
11001 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11002 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11003 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11004 called automatically when you select the articles.
11006 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11007 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11008 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11009 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11011 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11012 for sensible values.
11016 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11019 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11022 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11025 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
11028 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11032 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11033 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11034 regexps in the list.
11037 A list where the first element is not a string:
11039 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11040 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11041 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11045 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11050 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11051 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11052 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11053 considered to contain just a single part.
11055 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11056 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11057 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11058 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11059 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11060 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11061 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11063 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11064 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11065 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11066 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11069 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11070 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11072 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11074 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11075 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11076 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11077 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11078 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
11079 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11080 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11081 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11082 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11083 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11085 @xref{Article Washing}.
11087 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11088 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11089 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11090 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11091 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11092 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11093 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11095 @xref{Article Date}.
11097 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11098 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11099 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11103 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11105 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11107 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11108 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11109 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11113 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11117 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11121 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11122 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11123 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11124 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11125 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11126 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11127 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11128 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11129 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11130 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11132 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11134 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11135 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11136 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11138 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11140 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11141 @item gnus-treat-translate
11142 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11144 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11145 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11146 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11147 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11149 @xref{Article Header}.
11154 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11155 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11156 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11157 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11158 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11162 @node Article Keymap
11163 @section Article Keymap
11165 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11166 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11167 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11168 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11171 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11176 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11177 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11178 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11179 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11182 @kindex DEL (Article)
11183 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11184 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11185 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11188 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11189 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11190 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11191 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11192 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11195 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11196 @findex gnus-article-mail
11197 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11198 given a prefix, include the mail.
11201 @kindex s (Article)
11202 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11203 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11204 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11207 @kindex ? (Article)
11208 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11209 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11210 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11213 @kindex TAB (Article)
11214 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11215 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11216 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11219 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11220 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11221 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11224 @kindex R (Article)
11225 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11226 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11227 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11228 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11232 @kindex F (Article)
11233 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11234 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11235 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11236 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11244 @section Misc Article
11248 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11249 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11250 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11251 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11254 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11255 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11256 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11257 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11258 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11260 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11261 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11262 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11263 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11264 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11265 the contents of the article buffer.
11267 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11268 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11269 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11271 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11272 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11273 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11274 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11276 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11277 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11278 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11279 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11281 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11282 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11283 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11284 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
11285 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
11291 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11292 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11293 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11298 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11301 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11304 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11305 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11306 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11309 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11312 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11315 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11320 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11324 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11326 @item gnus-break-pages
11327 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11328 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11329 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11330 paging will not be done.
11332 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11333 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11334 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11338 @cindex internationalized domain names
11339 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11340 @item gnus-use-idna
11341 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11342 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11343 @samp{Cc} headers. This requires
11344 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11345 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11350 @node Composing Messages
11351 @chapter Composing Messages
11352 @cindex composing messages
11355 @cindex sending mail
11360 @cindex using s/mime
11361 @cindex using smime
11363 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11364 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11365 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11366 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11367 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11368 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11371 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11372 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11373 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11374 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11375 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11376 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11377 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11378 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11381 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11382 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11388 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11391 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11392 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11393 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11394 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11395 @code{nil} include all headers.
11397 @item gnus-add-to-list
11398 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11399 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11400 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11402 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11403 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11404 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11405 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11406 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11407 confirmation is should be asked for.
11409 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11410 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11412 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11413 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11414 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11415 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11416 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11421 @node Posting Server
11422 @section Posting Server
11424 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11425 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11427 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11429 It can be quite complicated.
11431 @vindex gnus-post-method
11432 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11433 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11434 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11435 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11436 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11437 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11438 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11439 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11440 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11443 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11446 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11447 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11448 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11449 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11451 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11452 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11454 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11455 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11458 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11459 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11461 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11462 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11463 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11464 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11465 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11466 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11467 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11468 package correctly. An example:
11471 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11472 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11475 To the thing similar to this, there is
11476 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your ISP requires
11477 the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. See the
11478 documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11480 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11481 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11482 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11484 @node Mail and Post
11485 @section Mail and Post
11487 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11491 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11492 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11493 @cindex mailing lists
11495 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11496 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11497 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11498 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11499 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11500 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11501 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11502 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11503 still a pain, though.
11505 @item gnus-user-agent
11506 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11509 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11510 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11511 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11512 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11513 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11514 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11515 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11519 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11520 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11521 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11524 @findex ispell-message
11526 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11529 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11530 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11533 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11537 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11538 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11540 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11543 Modify to suit your needs.
11546 @node Archived Messages
11547 @section Archived Messages
11548 @cindex archived messages
11549 @cindex sent messages
11551 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11552 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11553 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11554 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11557 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11558 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11561 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11562 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11563 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11566 (nnfolder "archive"
11567 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11568 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11569 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11570 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11573 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11574 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11575 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11576 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11579 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11580 '(nnfolder "archive"
11581 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11582 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11583 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11586 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11588 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11589 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11590 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11592 This variable can be used to do the following:
11596 Messages will be saved in that group.
11598 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11599 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11600 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11601 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11602 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11603 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11604 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11605 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11608 @item a list of strings
11609 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11611 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11612 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11615 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11620 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11622 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11625 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11627 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11630 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11632 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11633 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11634 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11635 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11638 More complex stuff:
11640 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11641 '((if (message-news-p)
11646 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11647 messages in one file per month:
11650 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11651 '((if (message-news-p)
11653 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11656 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11657 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11659 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11660 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11661 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11662 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11663 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11664 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11665 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11666 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11667 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11668 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11670 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11671 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11672 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11673 this will disable archiving.
11676 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11677 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11678 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11679 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11680 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11683 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11684 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11685 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11688 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11689 but the latter is the preferred method.
11691 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11692 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11693 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11695 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11696 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11697 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11698 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11699 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11700 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11701 changed in the future.
11706 @node Posting Styles
11707 @section Posting Styles
11708 @cindex posting styles
11711 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11713 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11714 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11715 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11718 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11719 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11720 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11721 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11722 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11727 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11728 (organization "What me?"))
11730 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11731 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11732 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11735 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11736 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11737 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11738 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11739 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11740 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11741 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11742 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11744 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11745 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11746 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11747 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11748 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11749 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11750 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11751 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11752 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11753 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11754 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11755 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11756 said to @dfn{match}.
11758 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11759 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11760 attribute name can be one of:
11763 @item @code{signature}
11764 @item @code{signature-file}
11765 @item @code{x-face-file}
11766 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11767 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11771 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11772 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11773 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11774 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11775 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11777 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11778 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11779 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11780 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11781 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11782 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11783 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11784 references chars lines xref extra.
11786 @vindex message-reply-headers
11788 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11789 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11790 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11792 @findex message-mail-p
11793 @findex message-news-p
11795 So here's a new example:
11798 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11800 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11802 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11803 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11805 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11806 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11807 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11808 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11809 (signature my-news-signature))
11810 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11811 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11812 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11813 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11814 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11815 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11816 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11817 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11818 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11819 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11821 (From (save-excursion
11822 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11823 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11825 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11828 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11829 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11830 if you fill many roles.
11837 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11838 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11839 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11840 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11841 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11843 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11844 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11845 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11846 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11847 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11851 @vindex nndraft-directory
11852 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11853 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11854 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11855 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11856 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11857 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11859 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11860 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11861 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11862 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11863 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11864 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11865 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11866 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11867 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11869 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11870 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11871 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11872 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11873 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11874 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11875 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11876 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11877 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11878 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11879 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11880 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11881 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11882 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11884 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11885 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11886 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11888 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11889 @kindex D e (Draft)
11890 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11891 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11892 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11894 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11897 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11898 @kindex D s (Draft)
11899 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11900 @kindex D S (Draft)
11901 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11902 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11903 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11904 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11905 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11908 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11909 @kindex D t (Draft)
11910 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11911 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11912 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11915 @node Rejected Articles
11916 @section Rejected Articles
11917 @cindex rejected articles
11919 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11920 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11921 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11922 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11924 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11925 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11926 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11927 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11928 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11930 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11931 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11932 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11934 @node Signing and encrypting
11935 @section Signing and encrypting
11937 @cindex using s/mime
11938 @cindex using smime
11940 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
11941 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
11942 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
11943 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
11945 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11946 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11947 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11948 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11949 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11950 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11951 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11952 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11953 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11954 automatically encrypted messages.
11956 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
11957 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
11958 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11963 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
11964 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11966 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11969 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
11970 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11972 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11975 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
11976 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11978 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11981 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
11982 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11984 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11987 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
11988 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11990 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11993 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
11994 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11996 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11999 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12000 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12001 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12005 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12007 @node Select Methods
12008 @chapter Select Methods
12009 @cindex foreign groups
12010 @cindex select methods
12012 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12013 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12014 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12015 personal mail group.
12017 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12018 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12019 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12020 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12021 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12022 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12024 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12025 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12027 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12030 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12031 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12032 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12033 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12034 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12036 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12039 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12040 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12041 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12042 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12043 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12044 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12045 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12046 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12050 @node Server Buffer
12051 @section Server Buffer
12053 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12054 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12055 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12056 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12057 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12058 back end represents a virtual server.
12060 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12061 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12062 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12063 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12065 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12066 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12067 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12068 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12069 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12070 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12071 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12073 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12074 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12077 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12078 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12079 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12080 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12081 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12082 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12083 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12086 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12087 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12090 @node Server Buffer Format
12091 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12092 @cindex server buffer format
12094 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12095 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12096 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12097 variable, with some simple extensions:
12102 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12105 The name of this server.
12108 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12111 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12114 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12115 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12116 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12117 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12127 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12130 @node Server Commands
12131 @subsection Server Commands
12132 @cindex server commands
12138 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12139 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12143 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12144 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12147 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12148 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12149 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12153 @findex gnus-server-exit
12154 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12158 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12159 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12163 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12164 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12168 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12169 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12173 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12174 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12178 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12179 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12180 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12185 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12186 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12187 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12188 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12193 @node Example Methods
12194 @subsection Example Methods
12196 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12199 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12202 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12208 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12209 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12212 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12213 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12215 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12216 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12220 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12223 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12224 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12226 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12227 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12228 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12232 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12235 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12238 Here's the method for a public spool:
12242 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12243 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12249 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12250 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12251 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12252 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12253 should probably look something like this:
12257 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12258 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12259 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12260 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12263 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12264 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12265 configuration to the example above:
12268 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12271 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12273 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12274 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12275 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12279 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12280 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12281 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12282 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12285 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12286 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12287 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12288 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12291 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12292 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12294 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12295 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12297 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12298 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12299 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12301 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12303 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12304 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12305 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12306 will contain the following:
12316 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12317 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12320 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12321 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12322 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12325 @node Server Variables
12326 @subsection Server Variables
12327 @cindex server variables
12328 @cindex server parameters
12330 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12331 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12332 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12333 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12334 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12336 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12337 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12338 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12339 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12340 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12341 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12342 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12343 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12344 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12348 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12349 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12350 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12353 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12355 @node Servers and Methods
12356 @subsection Servers and Methods
12358 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12359 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12360 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12361 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12365 @node Unavailable Servers
12366 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12368 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12369 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12370 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12371 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12372 actually the case or not.
12374 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12375 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12376 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12377 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12378 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12379 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12380 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12381 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12383 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12384 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12386 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12387 with the following commands:
12393 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12394 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12395 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12399 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12400 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12401 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12405 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12406 Mark the current server as unreachable
12407 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12410 @kindex M-o (Server)
12411 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12412 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12413 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12416 @kindex M-c (Server)
12417 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12418 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12419 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12423 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12424 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12425 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12429 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12430 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12436 @section Getting News
12437 @cindex reading news
12438 @cindex news back ends
12440 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12441 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12442 or it can read from a local spool.
12445 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12446 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12454 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12455 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12456 server as the, uhm, address.
12458 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12459 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12460 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12461 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12463 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12464 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12465 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12467 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12472 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12473 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12474 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12476 @cindex authentification
12477 @cindex nntp authentification
12478 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12479 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12480 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12481 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12482 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12483 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12484 present in this hook.
12486 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12487 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12488 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12489 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12490 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12491 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12492 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12493 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12494 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12495 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12496 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12497 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12501 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12504 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12506 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12507 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12508 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12509 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12510 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12511 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12512 @samp{force} is explained below.
12516 Here's an example file:
12519 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12520 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12523 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12524 have to be first, for instance.
12526 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12527 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12528 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12529 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12530 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12531 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12532 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12534 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12535 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12541 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12542 previously mentioned.
12544 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12546 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12547 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12548 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12549 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12550 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12553 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12554 '(("innd" (ding))))
12557 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12559 The default value is
12562 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12563 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12564 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12567 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12568 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12570 @item nntp-maximum-request
12571 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12572 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12573 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12574 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12575 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12576 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12577 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12579 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12580 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12581 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12582 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12583 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12584 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12585 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12586 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12587 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12588 no timeouts are done.
12590 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12591 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12592 @c @cindex PPP connections
12593 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12594 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12595 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12596 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12597 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12598 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12599 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12600 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12601 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12602 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12604 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12605 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12606 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12607 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12608 @c described above.
12610 @item nntp-server-hook
12611 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12612 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12615 @item nntp-buggy-select
12616 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12617 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12619 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12620 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12621 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12622 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12625 @item nntp-xover-commands
12626 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12627 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12629 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12630 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12634 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12635 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12636 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12637 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12638 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12639 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12640 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12641 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12642 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12643 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12644 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12646 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12647 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12648 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12650 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12651 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12652 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12653 server closes connection.
12655 @item nntp-record-commands
12656 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12657 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12658 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12659 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12660 that doesn't seem to work.
12662 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12663 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12664 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12665 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12666 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12667 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12668 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12669 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12671 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12672 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12673 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12674 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12675 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12676 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12677 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12680 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12683 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12684 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12686 @item nntp-read-timeout
12687 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12688 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12689 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12690 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12691 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12697 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12698 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12699 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12703 @node Direct Functions
12704 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12705 @cindex direct connection functions
12707 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12708 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12709 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12710 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12713 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12714 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12715 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12718 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12719 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12720 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12721 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12722 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12725 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12726 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12728 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12729 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12730 (nntp-port-number )
12731 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12734 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12735 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12736 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12737 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12738 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12739 then define a server as follows:
12742 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12743 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12745 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12746 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12747 (nntp-port-number 563)
12748 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12751 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12752 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12753 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12754 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12755 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12756 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12757 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12758 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12762 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12763 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12764 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12767 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12768 session, which is not a good idea.
12772 @node Indirect Functions
12773 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12774 @cindex indirect connection functions
12776 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12777 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12778 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12779 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12780 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12781 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12784 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12785 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12786 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12787 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12788 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12790 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12793 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12794 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12795 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12796 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12798 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12799 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12800 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12801 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12802 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12803 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12804 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12805 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12809 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12810 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12811 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12812 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12814 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12817 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12818 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12819 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12822 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12823 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12824 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12825 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12827 @item nntp-via-user-password
12828 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12829 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12831 @item nntp-via-envuser
12832 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12833 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12834 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12835 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12837 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12838 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12839 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12840 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12847 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12852 @item nntp-via-user-name
12853 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12854 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12856 @item nntp-via-address
12857 @vindex nntp-via-address
12858 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12863 @node Common Variables
12864 @subsubsection Common Variables
12866 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12867 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12872 @item nntp-pre-command
12873 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12874 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
12875 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
12876 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
12877 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
12880 @vindex nntp-address
12881 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12883 @item nntp-port-number
12884 @vindex nntp-port-number
12885 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12886 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
12887 @acronym{tls}/@acronym{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12888 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
12889 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
12890 not work with named ports.
12892 @item nntp-end-of-line
12893 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12894 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
12895 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12896 using a non native connection function.
12898 @item nntp-telnet-command
12899 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12900 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
12901 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
12902 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12905 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12906 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12907 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12914 @subsection News Spool
12918 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12919 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12920 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12923 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12924 anything else) as the address.
12926 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12927 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12928 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12929 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12933 @item nnspool-inews-program
12934 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12935 Program used to post an article.
12937 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12938 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12939 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12941 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12942 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12943 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12944 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12946 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12947 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12948 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
12949 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12951 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12952 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12953 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12955 @item nnspool-active-file
12956 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12957 The name of the active file.
12959 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12960 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12961 The name of the group descriptions file.
12963 @item nnspool-history-file
12964 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12965 The name of the news history file.
12967 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12968 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12969 The name of the active date file.
12971 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12972 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12973 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
12976 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12977 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12979 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12980 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
12981 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
12988 @section Getting Mail
12989 @cindex reading mail
12992 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12996 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12997 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12998 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12999 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13000 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13001 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13002 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13003 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13004 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13005 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13006 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13007 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13008 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13012 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13013 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13015 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13016 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13017 of a culture shock.
13019 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13020 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13022 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13023 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13024 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13025 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13027 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13029 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13030 deleted? How awful!
13032 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13033 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13034 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13035 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13038 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13039 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13040 they want to treat a message.
13042 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13043 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13044 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13045 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13046 archived somewhere else.
13048 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13049 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13050 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13051 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13052 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13054 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13055 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13056 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13058 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13059 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13062 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13063 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13064 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13065 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13066 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13068 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13069 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13070 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13071 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13072 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13073 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13077 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13078 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13080 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13081 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13082 and things will happen automatically.
13084 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13085 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13088 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13091 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13092 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13093 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13094 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13095 like any other group.
13097 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13100 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13101 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13102 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13106 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13107 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13108 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13111 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13112 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13113 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13116 @node Splitting Mail
13117 @subsection Splitting Mail
13118 @cindex splitting mail
13119 @cindex mail splitting
13120 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13122 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13123 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13124 to be split into groups.
13127 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13128 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13129 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13130 ("mail.other" "")))
13133 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13134 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13135 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13136 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13137 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13138 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13139 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13142 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13145 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13146 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13147 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13148 mail belongs in that group.
13150 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13151 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
13152 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13153 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
13154 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
13155 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
13157 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13158 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13159 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13160 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13161 thinks should carry this mail message.
13163 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13164 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13165 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13166 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13168 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13169 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13170 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13171 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13172 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
13174 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13177 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13178 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13179 links. If that's the case for you, set
13180 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13181 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13183 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13184 @findex nnmail-split-history
13185 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13186 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13187 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13188 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13191 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13192 Header lines longer than the value of
13193 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13196 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13197 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13198 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13199 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13200 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13201 charset for decoding. The behaviour can be turned off completely by
13202 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13203 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13205 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13206 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13207 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13208 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13209 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13210 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13211 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13212 other kinds of entries.)
13214 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13215 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13216 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13217 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13218 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13219 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13220 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13221 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13222 month's rent money.
13226 @subsection Mail Sources
13228 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13229 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13230 maildir, for instance.
13233 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13234 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13235 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13239 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13240 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13242 @cindex mail server
13245 @cindex mail source
13247 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13248 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13253 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13256 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13257 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13258 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13261 The following mail source types are available:
13265 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13271 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13272 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13273 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13277 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13280 An example file mail source:
13283 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13286 Or using the default file name:
13292 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13293 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13294 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13295 mail spool while moving the mail.
13297 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13301 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13304 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13308 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13311 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13313 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13316 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13320 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13321 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13322 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13323 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13324 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13325 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13326 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13327 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13328 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13329 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13331 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13332 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13333 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13334 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13340 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13344 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13348 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13349 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13350 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13351 predicate are considered.
13355 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13359 An example directory mail source:
13362 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13367 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13373 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13374 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13377 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13378 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13379 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13380 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13381 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13384 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13388 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13389 the user is prompted.
13392 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13393 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13396 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13399 The valid format specifier characters are:
13403 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13404 included in this string.
13407 The name of the server.
13410 The port number of the server.
13413 The user name to use.
13416 The password to use.
13419 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13420 corresponding keywords.
13423 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13424 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13427 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13428 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13431 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13432 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13433 mail should be moved to.
13435 @item :authentication
13436 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13437 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13442 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13443 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13445 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13446 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13452 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13455 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13456 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13459 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13462 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13466 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13467 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13468 contains exactly one mail.
13474 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13475 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13478 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13479 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13481 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13482 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13483 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13486 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13487 from locking problems).
13491 Two example maildir mail sources:
13494 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13495 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13499 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13504 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13505 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13506 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13507 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13508 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13510 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13511 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13517 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13518 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13521 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13522 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13525 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13529 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13533 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13534 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13535 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13536 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13538 @item :authentication
13539 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13540 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13541 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13542 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13545 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13546 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13547 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13553 The valid format specifier characters are:
13557 The name of the server.
13560 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13563 The port number of the server.
13566 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13567 corresponding keywords.
13570 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13571 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13574 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13575 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13576 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13577 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13578 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13579 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13582 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13583 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13584 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13585 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13588 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13589 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13593 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13596 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13598 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13602 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13603 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13604 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13606 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13607 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13609 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13615 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13616 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13619 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13623 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13627 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13628 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13632 An example webmail source:
13635 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13637 :password "secret")
13642 @item Common Keywords
13643 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13649 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13650 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13655 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13660 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13661 useful when you use local mail and news.
13666 @subsubsection Function Interface
13668 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13669 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13670 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13671 consider the following mail-source setting:
13674 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13675 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13678 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13679 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13680 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13681 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13682 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13684 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13687 @node Mail Source Customization
13688 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13690 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13691 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13695 @item mail-source-crash-box
13696 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13697 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13698 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13700 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13701 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13702 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13703 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13704 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13705 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13706 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13707 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13709 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13710 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13711 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13712 files. This variable only applies when
13713 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13715 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13716 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13717 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13719 @item mail-source-directory
13720 @vindex mail-source-directory
13721 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13722 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13723 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13726 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13727 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13728 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13729 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13730 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13731 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13733 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13734 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13735 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13737 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13738 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13739 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
13740 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13745 @node Fetching Mail
13746 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13748 @vindex mail-sources
13749 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13750 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13751 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13752 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13754 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13755 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13758 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
13759 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
13764 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13765 :password "secret")))
13768 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13772 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13773 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13776 :password "secret")))
13780 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13781 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13782 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13783 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13784 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13785 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13789 @node Mail Back End Variables
13790 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13792 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13796 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13797 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13798 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13799 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13801 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13802 @item nnmail-split-hook
13803 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13804 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
13805 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
13806 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13807 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13808 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13809 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13810 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13811 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13814 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13815 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13816 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13817 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13818 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13819 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13820 starting to handle the new mail) and
13821 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13822 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13823 default file modes the new mail files get:
13826 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13827 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13829 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13830 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13833 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13834 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13835 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13836 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13837 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13838 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13839 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13841 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13842 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13843 @findex delete-file
13844 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13846 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13847 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13848 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13849 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13850 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13852 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13853 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13854 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13855 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13856 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13858 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13859 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13860 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13865 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13866 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13867 @cindex mail splitting
13868 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13870 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13871 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13872 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13873 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13874 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13875 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13877 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13880 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
13881 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
13882 ;; @r{from real errors.}
13883 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13885 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
13886 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
13887 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
13888 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13889 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13890 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
13891 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13892 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13893 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
13894 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
13895 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
13896 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
13897 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13898 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13899 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
13900 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13901 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
13905 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
13906 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
13907 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
13912 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
13913 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
13915 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
13916 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
13917 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
13918 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
13919 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
13920 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
13921 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13923 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
13924 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
13925 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
13926 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
13927 stored in one or more groups.
13929 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
13930 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
13931 process all @var{split}s in the list.
13934 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
13935 this message. Use with extreme caution.
13937 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
13938 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
13939 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
13940 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
13943 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13944 body of the messages:
13947 (defun split-on-body ()
13951 (goto-char (point-min))
13952 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13956 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
13957 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
13958 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
13959 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
13960 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
13961 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to t to do that (@pxref{Splitting in
13964 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
13965 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
13966 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
13967 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
13968 should return a split.
13971 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13975 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13976 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13977 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13978 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13979 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13981 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13982 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
13983 they are expanded as specified by the variable
13984 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
13985 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
13986 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
13987 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
13991 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
13993 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
13994 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
13996 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
13999 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14000 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14001 when all this splitting is performed.
14003 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14004 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14005 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14008 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14011 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14012 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14014 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14015 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14016 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14017 groupings 1 through 9.
14019 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14020 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14021 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14023 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14024 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14025 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14026 surrounded by anything.
14029 (any "joe" "joemail")
14032 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14033 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14034 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to t, however, the
14035 match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word boundary is
14036 removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14038 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14039 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14040 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14041 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14042 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14043 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14044 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14045 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14046 it once per thread.
14048 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14049 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14050 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14051 using the colon feature, like so:
14053 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14054 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14056 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14057 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14061 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14062 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14063 in the file specified by the variable
14064 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14065 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14066 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14067 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14068 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14069 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14070 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14071 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14072 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14073 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14074 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14075 300 kBytes in size.)
14076 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14077 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14078 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14079 messages goes into the new group.
14081 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14082 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14083 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14084 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14085 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14086 ``outgoing'' group.
14089 @node Group Mail Splitting
14090 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14091 @cindex mail splitting
14092 @cindex group mail splitting
14094 @findex gnus-group-split
14095 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14096 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14097 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14098 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14099 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14100 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14101 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14102 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14104 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14105 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14106 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14107 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14109 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14110 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14111 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14112 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14113 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14114 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14115 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14117 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14118 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14119 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14120 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14121 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14122 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14123 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14125 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14126 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14127 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14128 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14129 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14130 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14131 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14132 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14133 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14134 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14135 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14136 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14137 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14139 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14144 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14145 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14147 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14148 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14149 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14150 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14152 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14155 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14156 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14157 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14160 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14161 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14162 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14166 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14167 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14168 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14172 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14175 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14176 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14177 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14178 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14179 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14180 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14181 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14182 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14183 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14185 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14186 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14187 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14188 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14189 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14190 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14191 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14192 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14193 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14195 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14196 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14197 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14198 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14199 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14200 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14203 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14206 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14207 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14208 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14209 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14210 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14213 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14214 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14215 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14216 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14218 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14219 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14220 @cindex incorporating old mail
14221 @cindex import old mail
14223 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14224 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14225 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14228 Doing so can be quite easy.
14230 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14231 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14232 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14233 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14234 your @code{nnml} groups.
14240 Go to the group buffer.
14243 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14244 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14247 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14250 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14251 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14254 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14255 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14258 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14259 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14260 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14261 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14262 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14264 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14265 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14266 using the new mail back end.
14269 @node Expiring Mail
14270 @subsection Expiring Mail
14271 @cindex article expiry
14273 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14274 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14275 different approach to mail reading.
14277 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14278 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14279 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14280 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14281 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14282 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14285 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14286 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14287 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14288 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14289 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14290 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14291 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14292 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14293 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14295 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14296 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14297 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14298 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14299 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14300 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14301 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14304 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14305 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14306 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14307 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14308 into its own group.)
14310 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14311 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14312 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14313 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14314 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14315 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14316 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14317 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14320 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14321 Groups that match the regular expression
14322 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14323 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14324 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14326 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14327 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14328 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14329 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14330 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14332 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14334 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14335 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14336 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14339 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14340 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14341 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14342 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14343 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14345 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14346 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14349 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14350 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14353 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14354 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14356 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14357 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14358 don't really mix very well.
14360 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14361 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14362 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14363 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14366 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14367 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14368 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14369 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14372 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14374 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14376 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14378 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14380 ((string= group "important")
14386 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14387 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14389 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14390 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14391 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14394 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14395 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14397 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14398 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14399 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14400 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14401 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14402 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14403 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14404 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14405 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14406 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14407 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14408 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14409 name or @code{delete}.
14411 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14413 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14416 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14417 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14418 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14419 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14420 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14423 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14424 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14425 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14426 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14427 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14430 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14431 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14432 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14433 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14434 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14435 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14437 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14438 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14439 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14440 easier for procmail users.
14442 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14443 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14444 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14445 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14446 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14447 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14448 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14449 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14450 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14451 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14452 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14453 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14454 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14457 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14459 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14460 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14461 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14462 auto-expire turned on.
14466 @subsection Washing Mail
14467 @cindex mail washing
14468 @cindex list server brain damage
14469 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14471 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14472 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14473 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14474 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14475 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14476 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14478 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14479 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14480 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14483 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14484 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14485 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14486 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14489 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14490 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14491 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14492 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14493 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14496 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14497 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14498 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14499 Emacs running on MS machines.
14503 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14504 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14505 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14506 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14509 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14510 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14511 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14512 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14514 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14515 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14516 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14517 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14518 into a feature by documenting it.)
14520 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14521 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14522 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14523 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14524 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14525 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14526 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14529 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14530 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14533 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14534 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14537 This can also be done non-destructively with
14538 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14540 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14541 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14542 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14544 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14545 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14547 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14548 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14549 @code{References} headers.
14553 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14554 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14555 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14559 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14560 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14561 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14568 @subsection Duplicates
14570 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14571 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14572 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14573 @cindex duplicate mails
14574 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14575 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14576 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14577 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14578 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14579 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14580 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14581 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14582 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14583 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14584 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14585 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14586 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14588 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14589 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14590 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14591 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14593 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14596 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14597 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14601 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14602 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14603 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14604 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14605 (any mail "mail.misc")
14606 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14612 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14613 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14614 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14618 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14619 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14620 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14621 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14622 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14625 @node Not Reading Mail
14626 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14628 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14629 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14630 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14632 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14633 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14634 mail, which should help.
14636 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14637 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14638 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14639 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14640 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14641 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14642 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14643 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14644 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14645 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14646 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14648 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14649 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14653 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14654 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14656 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14657 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14658 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14660 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14661 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14662 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14666 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14667 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14668 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14669 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14670 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14671 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14672 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14676 @node Unix Mail Box
14677 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14679 @cindex unix mail box
14681 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14682 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14683 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14684 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14685 which group it belongs in.
14687 Virtual server settings:
14690 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14691 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14692 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14695 @item nnmbox-active-file
14696 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14697 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14698 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14700 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14701 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14702 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14703 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14708 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14712 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14713 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14714 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
14715 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14716 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14718 Virtual server settings:
14721 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14722 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14723 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14725 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14726 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14727 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14728 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14730 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14731 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14732 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14738 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14740 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
14742 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14743 format. It should be used with some caution.
14745 @vindex nnml-directory
14746 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14747 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14748 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14749 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14751 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14754 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14755 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14756 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14757 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14758 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14759 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14760 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14761 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14763 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14764 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14765 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14766 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14768 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14770 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14771 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14772 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14773 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14774 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14775 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14776 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14777 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14780 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14781 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14782 them next time it starts.
14784 Virtual server settings:
14787 @item nnml-directory
14788 @vindex nnml-directory
14789 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14790 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14793 @item nnml-active-file
14794 @vindex nnml-active-file
14795 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14796 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14798 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14799 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14800 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14801 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14803 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14804 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14805 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14808 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14809 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14810 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
14811 default is @code{nil}.
14813 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14814 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14815 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14817 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14818 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14819 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14821 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14822 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14823 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14824 default is @code{nil}.
14826 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14827 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14828 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14830 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14831 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14832 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14837 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14838 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of whack,
14839 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14840 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14841 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14842 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14843 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14848 @subsubsection MH Spool
14850 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14852 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14853 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14854 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14855 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14857 Virtual server settings:
14860 @item nnmh-directory
14861 @vindex nnmh-directory
14862 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14863 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14866 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14867 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14868 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14872 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14873 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14874 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14875 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14876 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14877 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14878 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14883 @subsubsection Maildir
14887 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
14888 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
14889 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
14890 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. nnmaildir also
14891 stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory within a
14894 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
14895 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
14896 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
14897 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
14898 can still do that with nnmaildir, but the more common configuration is
14899 to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs that appear as
14902 nnmaildir is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will never
14903 corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never corrupt its
14904 data in the filesystem.
14906 nnmaildir stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each maildir. So you
14907 can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to another, and you will
14910 Virtual server settings:
14914 For each of your nnmaildir servers (it's very unlikely that you'd need
14915 more than one), you need to create a directory and populate it with
14916 maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not choose a
14917 directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir will be
14918 represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the filename of the
14919 symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames in the directory
14920 starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is scanned when you
14921 first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in the group buffer;
14922 if any maildirs have been removed or added, nnmaildir notices at these
14925 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
14926 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
14927 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
14928 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
14929 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
14930 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
14931 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
14932 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
14933 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
14934 if nnmaildir uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical value.
14936 @item target-prefix
14937 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
14938 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
14939 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
14942 When you create a group on an nnmaildir server, the maildir is created
14943 with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
14944 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
14945 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
14946 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
14947 the group @code{foo}, nnmaildir will create
14948 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
14949 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
14950 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
14952 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
14953 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
14954 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
14955 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
14956 symlinks pointing to them will be).
14958 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
14959 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
14960 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
14961 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
14962 @code{force} argument.
14964 @item directory-files
14965 This should be a function with the same interface as
14966 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
14967 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
14968 parameter is optional; the default is
14969 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
14970 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
14971 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
14972 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
14973 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
14974 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
14977 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
14978 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
14979 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
14980 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
14981 value is @code{nil}.
14983 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
14984 an nnmaildir group. The results might happen to be useful, but that
14985 would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be different
14986 in the future. If your split rules create new groups, remember to
14987 supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
14990 @subsubsection Group parameters
14992 nnmaildir uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore all
14993 this; the default behavior for nnmaildir is the same as the default
14994 behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after one week,
14995 etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this functionality is
14996 unique to nnmaildir, so you can ignore it if you're just trying to
14997 duplicate the behavior you already have with another back end.
14999 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15000 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15001 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15002 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15003 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15004 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15005 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15006 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15007 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15011 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article before
15012 it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15013 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15014 nnmaildir falls back to the usual
15015 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
15016 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
15017 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15018 60 60)]}; nnmaildir will evaluate the form and use the result. An
15019 article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15020 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15021 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15022 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15025 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15027 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15029 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15030 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15031 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an nnmaildir group, the
15032 article will be just as old in the destination group as it was in the
15033 source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15034 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15035 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15036 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15037 article. So that form can refer to
15038 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15039 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, nnmaildir does not fall
15040 back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15041 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15044 If this is set to @code{t}, nnmaildir will treat the articles in this
15045 maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed from
15046 @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in @file{new/},
15047 not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles cannot be
15048 edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the @file{new/}
15049 directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox containing
15050 a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the maildir outside
15051 @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for a shared
15052 mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or have write
15053 permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't contain
15054 extra copies of the articles.
15056 @item directory-files
15057 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15058 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15059 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15060 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15062 @item distrust-Lines:
15063 If non-@code{nil}, nnmaildir will always count the lines of an
15064 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15065 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15068 A list of mark symbols, such as
15069 @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever Gnus asks nnmaildir for
15070 article marks, nnmaildir will say that all articles have these
15071 marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in the filesystem
15072 say so. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will probably be
15073 removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15074 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15077 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15078 Gnus asks nnmaildir for article marks, nnmaildir will say that no
15079 articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in
15080 the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15081 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15082 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15083 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15085 @item nov-cache-size
15086 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To speed
15087 things up, nnmaildir keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory for a limited number of
15088 articles in each group. (This is probably not worthwhile, and will
15089 probably be removed in the future.) This parameter's value is noticed
15090 only the first time a group is seen after the server is opened---i.e.,
15091 when you first start Gnus, typically. The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized
15092 until the server is closed and reopened. The default is an estimate
15093 of the number of articles that would be displayed in the summary
15094 buffer: a count of articles that are either marked with @code{tick} or
15095 not marked with @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15098 @subsubsection Article identification
15099 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15100 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15101 contains no colons. nnmaildir ignores, but preserves, the
15102 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15103 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15104 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15105 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15106 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15107 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15108 request the article in the summary buffer.
15110 @subsubsection NOV data
15111 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used to
15112 generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15113 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15114 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15115 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically when the
15116 article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can force
15117 nnmaildir to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a single article simply by
15118 deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV} file, but @emph{beware}: this will also
15119 cause nnmaildir to assign a new article number for this article, which
15120 may cause trouble with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15122 @subsubsection Article marks
15123 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15124 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15125 When Gnus asks nnmaildir for a group's marks, nnmaildir looks for such
15126 files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus asks nnmaildir
15127 to store a new set of marks, nnmaildir creates and deletes the
15128 corresponding files as needed. (Actually, rather than create a new
15129 file for each mark, it just creates hard links to
15130 @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15132 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15133 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15134 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15135 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15136 this while Gnus is running and your nnmaildir server is open, it's
15137 best to exit all summary buffers for nnmaildir groups and type @kbd{s}
15138 in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g} in the
15139 group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not pick up the
15140 changes, and might undo them.
15144 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15146 @cindex mbox folders
15147 @cindex mail folders
15149 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
15150 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
15151 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
15154 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15156 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15157 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15158 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15159 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15160 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15161 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15162 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
15163 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
15164 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
15165 @code{nnfolder} directory).
15167 Virtual server settings:
15170 @item nnfolder-directory
15171 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15172 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
15173 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15176 @item nnfolder-active-file
15177 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15178 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15180 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15181 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15182 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15183 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15185 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15186 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15187 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
15190 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15191 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15192 @cindex backup files
15193 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15194 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
15195 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
15196 your @file{.emacs} file:
15199 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15200 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15202 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15205 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15206 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15207 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15208 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15209 extract some information from it before removing it.
15211 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15212 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15213 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15214 default is @code{nil}.
15216 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15217 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15218 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15220 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15221 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15222 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15223 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15225 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15226 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15227 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15228 default is @code{nil}.
15230 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15231 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15232 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15234 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15235 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15236 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15237 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15242 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15243 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15244 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15245 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15246 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15247 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15250 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15251 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15253 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15254 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15255 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15256 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15257 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15259 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15260 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15261 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15262 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15263 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15264 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15265 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15266 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15269 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15270 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15271 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15272 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15277 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15278 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15279 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15280 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15281 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15282 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15283 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15284 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15285 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15286 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15287 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15288 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15289 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15294 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15295 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15296 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15297 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15298 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15299 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15300 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15301 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15302 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15303 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15304 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15305 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15306 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15307 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15309 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15310 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15315 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15316 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15317 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15318 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15319 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15320 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15321 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15322 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15323 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15324 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15325 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15326 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15327 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15328 provided by the active file and overviews.
15330 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15331 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15332 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15333 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15334 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15337 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15338 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15343 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15344 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15345 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15346 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15347 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15348 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15349 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15353 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15354 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15355 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15356 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15357 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15358 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15359 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15360 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15361 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15363 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15364 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15365 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15366 friendly mail back end all over.
15370 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15371 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15374 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15375 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15376 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15377 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15378 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15379 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15380 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15381 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15384 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15385 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15386 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15387 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15388 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15389 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15390 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15391 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15392 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15393 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15394 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15396 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15397 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15398 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15399 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15400 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15403 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15404 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15405 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15406 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15407 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15408 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15409 removed in the future.
15411 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15412 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15413 on your file system.
15415 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15416 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15421 @node Browsing the Web
15422 @section Browsing the Web
15424 @cindex browsing the web
15428 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15429 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15430 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15431 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15432 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15433 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15434 even know what a news group is.
15436 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15437 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15438 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15439 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15440 you mad in the end.
15442 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15445 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15446 interfaces to these sources.
15450 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15451 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15452 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15453 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15454 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15455 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15458 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15460 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15461 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15462 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15463 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15464 though, you should be ok.
15466 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15467 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15468 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15469 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15470 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15472 @node Archiving Mail
15473 @subsection Archiving Mail
15474 @cindex archiving mail
15475 @cindex backup of mail
15477 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15478 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15479 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15480 marks is fairly simple.
15482 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15483 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15486 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15487 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15488 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15489 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15490 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15491 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15492 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15493 before you restore the data.
15495 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15496 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15497 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15498 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15499 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15500 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15501 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15502 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15503 is unnecessary in that case.
15506 @subsection Web Searches
15511 @cindex Usenet searches
15512 @cindex searching the Usenet
15514 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15515 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15516 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15517 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15518 searches without having to use a browser.
15520 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15521 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15522 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15523 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15524 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15526 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15527 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15528 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15529 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15530 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15531 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15532 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15533 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15534 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15535 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15538 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15539 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15540 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
15541 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15542 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15543 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15545 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15546 to use @code{nnweb}.
15548 Virtual server variables:
15553 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15554 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15555 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15558 @vindex nnweb-search
15559 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15561 @item nnweb-max-hits
15562 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15563 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15566 @item nnweb-type-definition
15567 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15568 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15569 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15574 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15578 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15581 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15584 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15588 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15595 @subsection Slashdot
15599 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15600 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15601 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15603 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15604 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15607 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15608 '((nnslashdot "")))
15611 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15612 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15613 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15614 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15615 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15618 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15619 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15621 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15622 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15623 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15624 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
15625 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15626 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15627 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15629 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15632 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15633 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15634 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15635 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15636 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15637 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15638 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15640 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15641 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15642 The login name to use when posting.
15644 @item nnslashdot-password
15645 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15646 The password to use when posting.
15648 @item nnslashdot-directory
15649 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15650 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15651 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15653 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15654 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15655 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
15656 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
15657 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15659 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15660 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15661 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
15663 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15664 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15665 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
15666 article. The default is
15667 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15669 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15670 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15671 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15673 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15674 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15675 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15676 updated. The default is 0.
15683 @subsection Ultimate
15685 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15687 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15688 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15689 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15690 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15692 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15693 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15694 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
15695 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15696 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15697 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15698 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15700 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15703 @item nnultimate-directory
15704 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15705 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15706 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15711 @subsection Web Archive
15713 @cindex Web Archive
15715 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15716 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15717 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15718 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15721 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15722 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15723 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15724 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
15725 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
15726 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15727 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15728 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15730 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15733 @item nnwarchive-directory
15734 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15735 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
15736 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15738 @item nnwarchive-login
15739 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15740 The account name on the web server.
15742 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15743 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15744 The password for your account on the web server.
15752 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
15753 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
15754 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
15755 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
15756 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
15758 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
15759 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15761 Use @kbd{G R} from the summary buffer to subscribe to a feed---you
15762 will be prompted for the location of the feed.
15764 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
15765 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET y}, then
15766 subscribe to groups.
15768 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15771 @item nnrss-directory
15772 @vindex nnrss-directory
15773 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15774 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15776 @item nnrss-use-local
15777 @vindex nnrss-use-local
15778 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
15779 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
15780 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
15781 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
15782 download script using @command{wget}.
15785 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15786 the summary buffer.
15789 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15790 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15792 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15794 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15795 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15798 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15801 (require 'browse-url)
15803 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15805 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15808 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15809 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15812 (browse-url (cdr url))
15813 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15814 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15816 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15817 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15818 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15819 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15822 @node Customizing w3
15823 @subsection Customizing w3
15829 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15830 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15831 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15833 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15834 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15835 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15838 (eval-after-load "w3"
15840 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15841 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15842 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15843 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15845 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15848 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15849 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15856 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
15858 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
15859 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
15860 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15861 specify the network address of the server.
15863 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
15864 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
15865 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
15866 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
15867 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
15868 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15870 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
15871 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
15872 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
15873 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
15875 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15876 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15877 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
15878 usage explained in this section.
15880 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
15881 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
15882 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
15886 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15887 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
15888 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
15890 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15891 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15892 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
15894 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15895 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15896 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15897 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
15898 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15899 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15900 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15901 (nnimap-stream network))
15902 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
15904 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15905 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15906 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15909 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15910 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15911 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15912 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15914 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15919 @item nnimap-address
15920 @vindex nnimap-address
15922 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
15923 server name if not specified.
15925 @item nnimap-server-port
15926 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15927 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
15929 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15932 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15933 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15936 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15937 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15938 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15939 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15940 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
15941 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15942 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15944 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15945 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15946 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15949 Example server specification:
15952 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15953 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15954 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15957 @item nnimap-stream
15958 @vindex nnimap-stream
15959 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15960 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15961 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
15962 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
15963 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15965 Example server specification:
15968 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15969 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15972 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15976 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15977 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
15979 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15981 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15982 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15985 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
15986 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
15988 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15989 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
15991 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
15993 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15996 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15997 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15998 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15999 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16000 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16001 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16002 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16003 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16004 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16007 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16008 needed. It is available from
16009 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16011 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16012 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16013 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16014 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16015 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16016 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16017 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16020 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16021 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16022 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16023 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16024 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16025 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16026 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16029 @vindex imap-shell-program
16030 @vindex imap-shell-host
16031 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16032 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16034 @item nnimap-authenticator
16035 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16037 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16038 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16040 Example server specification:
16043 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16044 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16047 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16051 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16052 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16054 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16057 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16058 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16060 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16062 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16064 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16067 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16069 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16070 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16071 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16072 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16073 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16074 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16077 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16078 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16079 running in circles yet?
16081 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16082 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16085 The possible options are:
16090 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16093 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16094 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16095 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16096 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16098 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16103 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16104 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16106 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16107 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16108 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16109 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16110 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16113 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16114 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16117 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16118 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16119 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16120 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16123 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16124 as ticked for other users.
16126 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16128 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16130 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16131 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16132 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16133 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16135 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16136 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16137 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16138 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16140 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16141 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16143 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16144 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16145 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16148 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16149 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16151 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16152 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16158 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16159 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16160 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16161 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16162 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16163 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16168 @node Splitting in IMAP
16169 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16170 @cindex splitting imap mail
16172 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16173 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16174 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16175 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16176 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16180 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16181 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16182 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16184 Here are the variables of interest:
16188 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16189 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16191 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16193 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16194 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16195 found will be used.
16197 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16199 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16200 @cindex splitting, inbox
16202 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16204 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16205 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16206 splitting is disabled!
16209 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16210 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16213 No nnmail equivalent.
16215 @item nnimap-split-rule
16216 @cindex splitting, rules
16217 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16219 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16222 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16223 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16224 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16225 Neither did I, we need examples.
16228 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16230 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16231 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16232 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16235 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16236 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16237 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16239 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16240 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16244 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16247 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16248 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16250 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16251 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16252 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16253 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16255 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16256 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16257 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16258 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16259 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16260 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16262 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16263 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16264 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16266 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16267 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16268 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16270 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16272 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16273 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16274 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16277 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16278 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16279 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16280 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16281 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16282 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16285 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16286 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16287 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16288 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16289 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16290 group/function elements.
16292 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16294 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16296 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16298 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16299 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16301 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16302 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16303 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16306 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16307 @cindex splitting, fancy
16308 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16309 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16311 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16312 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16313 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16315 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16316 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16317 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16318 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16323 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16324 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16327 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16329 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16330 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16331 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16333 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16334 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16335 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16336 splitting function that analyses the body to split the article.
16340 @node Expiring in IMAP
16341 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16342 @cindex expiring imap mail
16344 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16345 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16346 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16347 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16348 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16349 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16352 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16353 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16354 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16355 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16356 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16357 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16358 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16359 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16363 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16364 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16366 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16367 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16369 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16371 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16372 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16373 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16374 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16378 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16379 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16380 @cindex editing imap acls
16381 @cindex Access Control Lists
16382 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16383 @kindex G l (Group)
16384 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16386 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16387 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16388 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16391 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16392 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16393 editing window with detailed instructions.
16395 Some possible uses:
16399 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16400 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16401 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16403 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16404 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16405 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16409 @node Expunging mailboxes
16410 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16414 @cindex manual expunging
16415 @kindex G x (Group)
16416 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16418 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16419 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16420 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16422 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16425 @node A note on namespaces
16426 @subsection A note on namespaces
16427 @cindex IMAP namespace
16430 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16431 by the following text in the RFC:
16434 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16436 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16437 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16438 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16439 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16441 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16442 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16443 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16444 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16445 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16446 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16449 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16450 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16451 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16453 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16454 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16455 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16456 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16457 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16458 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16459 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16460 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16463 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16464 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16465 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16467 @node Debugging IMAP
16468 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16469 @cindex IMAP debugging
16470 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16472 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16473 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16474 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behaviour, chances
16475 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16477 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16478 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16479 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16480 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16481 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16482 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16483 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16487 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16488 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16495 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16496 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16497 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16498 @code{BAD} - but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16501 @node Other Sources
16502 @section Other Sources
16504 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16505 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16509 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16510 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16511 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16512 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16513 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16517 @node Directory Groups
16518 @subsection Directory Groups
16520 @cindex directory groups
16522 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16523 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16526 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16527 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16528 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16529 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16531 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16532 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16533 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16534 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16535 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16537 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16539 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16540 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16541 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16542 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16545 @node Anything Groups
16546 @subsection Anything Groups
16549 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16550 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16551 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16554 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16555 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16556 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16557 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16558 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16559 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16560 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16561 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16562 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16563 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16566 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16567 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16568 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16569 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16571 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16572 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16573 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16574 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16576 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16577 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16578 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16579 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16580 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16581 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16582 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16583 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16588 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16589 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16590 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16591 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16593 @item nneething-exclude-files
16594 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16595 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16596 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16598 @item nneething-include-files
16599 @vindex nneething-include-files
16600 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16601 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16603 @item nneething-map-file
16604 @vindex nneething-map-file
16605 Name of the map files.
16609 @node Document Groups
16610 @subsection Document Groups
16612 @cindex documentation group
16615 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16616 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16623 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16628 The standard Unix mbox file.
16630 @cindex MMDF mail box
16632 The MMDF mail box format.
16635 Several news articles appended into a file.
16638 @cindex rnews batch files
16639 The rnews batch transport format.
16640 @cindex forwarded messages
16643 Forwarded articles.
16646 Netscape mail boxes.
16649 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16651 @item standard-digest
16652 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16655 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16657 @item lanl-gov-announce
16658 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16660 @item rfc822-forward
16661 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16664 The Outlook mail box.
16667 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16670 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16673 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16676 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16682 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16685 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16691 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16692 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16693 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16696 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16697 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16698 group. And that's it.
16700 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16701 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16702 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16703 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16704 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16705 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16706 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16707 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16708 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16709 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16711 Virtual server variables:
16714 @item nndoc-article-type
16715 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16716 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16717 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16718 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16719 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16720 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16722 @item nndoc-post-type
16723 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16724 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16725 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16730 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16734 @node Document Server Internals
16735 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16737 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16738 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16739 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16740 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16742 First, here's an example document type definition:
16746 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16747 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16750 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16751 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16752 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16753 types can be defined with very few settings:
16756 @item first-article
16757 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16758 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16761 @item article-begin
16762 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16763 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16765 @item head-begin-function
16766 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16769 @item nndoc-head-begin
16770 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16773 @item nndoc-head-end
16774 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16775 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16777 @item body-begin-function
16778 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16782 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16785 @item body-end-function
16786 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16790 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16793 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16794 regexp will be totally ignored.
16798 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16799 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16800 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16801 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16802 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16805 @item prepare-body-function
16806 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16807 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16808 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16810 @item article-transform-function
16811 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16812 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16813 body of the article.
16815 @item generate-head-function
16816 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16817 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16818 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16819 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16823 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16828 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16829 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16830 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16831 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16832 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16833 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16834 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16835 (subtype digest guess))
16838 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16839 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16840 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16841 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16842 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16844 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16845 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
16846 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
16847 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
16848 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
16849 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
16850 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
16851 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
16852 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
16853 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
16854 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
16855 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16863 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16864 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16865 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16867 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16868 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16869 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16872 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16873 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16874 that interested in doing things properly.
16876 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16877 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16880 First some terminology:
16885 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16886 get news and/or mail from.
16889 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16890 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16893 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16897 @item message packets
16898 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16899 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16900 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16902 @item response packets
16903 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16904 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16905 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16915 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16916 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16917 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16918 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16921 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16924 You put the packet in your home directory.
16927 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16928 the native or secondary server.
16931 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16932 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16935 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16939 You transfer this packet to the server.
16942 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16945 You then repeat until you die.
16949 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16950 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16953 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16954 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16955 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16959 @node SOUP Commands
16960 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16962 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16966 @kindex G s b (Group)
16967 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16968 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16969 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16970 process/prefix convention.
16973 @kindex G s w (Group)
16974 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16975 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16978 @kindex G s s (Group)
16979 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16980 Send all replies from the replies packet
16981 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16984 @kindex G s p (Group)
16985 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16986 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16989 @kindex G s r (Group)
16990 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16991 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16994 @kindex O s (Summary)
16995 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16996 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16997 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16998 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17003 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17008 @item gnus-soup-directory
17009 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17010 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17011 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17013 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17014 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17015 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17016 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17018 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17019 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17020 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17021 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17023 @item gnus-soup-packer
17024 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17025 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17026 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17028 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17029 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17030 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17031 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17033 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17034 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17035 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17037 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17038 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17039 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17040 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17046 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17049 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17050 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17051 you can read them at leisure.
17053 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17057 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17058 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17059 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17060 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17062 @item nnsoup-directory
17063 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17064 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17065 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17067 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17068 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17069 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17070 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17072 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17073 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17074 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17075 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17076 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17078 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17079 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17080 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17081 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17083 @item nnsoup-active-file
17084 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17085 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17086 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17087 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17088 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17090 @item nnsoup-packer
17091 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17092 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17093 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17095 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17096 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17097 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17098 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17100 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17101 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17102 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17105 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17106 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17107 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17110 @item nnsoup-always-save
17111 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17112 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17118 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17120 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17121 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17122 more for that to happen.
17124 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17125 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17126 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17129 In specific, this is what it does:
17132 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17133 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17136 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17137 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17138 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17141 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17142 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17143 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17146 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17147 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17148 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17150 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17156 @item nngateway-address
17157 @vindex nngateway-address
17158 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17160 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17161 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17162 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17163 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17164 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17165 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17166 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17169 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17170 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17171 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17174 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17177 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17180 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17183 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17185 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17188 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17189 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17190 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17192 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17194 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17195 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17196 @code{nngateway-address}.
17204 (setq gnus-post-method
17206 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17207 (nngateway-header-transformation
17208 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17211 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17214 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17219 @node Combined Groups
17220 @section Combined Groups
17222 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17226 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17227 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17231 @node Virtual Groups
17232 @subsection Virtual Groups
17234 @cindex virtual groups
17235 @cindex merging groups
17237 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17240 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17241 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17242 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17244 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17245 regexp to match component groups.
17247 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17248 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17249 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17250 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17251 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17252 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17253 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17254 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17256 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17257 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17260 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17263 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17264 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17266 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17267 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17268 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17269 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17272 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17275 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17276 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17277 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17279 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17280 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17281 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17282 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17283 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17285 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17286 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17287 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17289 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17290 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17291 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17292 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17293 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17294 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17295 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17296 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17297 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17298 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17299 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17301 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17302 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17303 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17304 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17305 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17306 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17307 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17309 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17310 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17312 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17313 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17317 @node Kibozed Groups
17318 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17322 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17323 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17324 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17325 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17327 @kindex G k (Group)
17328 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17331 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17332 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17333 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17334 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17336 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17337 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17338 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17340 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17341 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17342 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17343 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17344 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17345 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17346 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17347 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17349 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17350 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17351 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17352 Stranger things have happened.
17354 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17355 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17357 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17358 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17359 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17360 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17361 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17362 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17363 component articles.
17365 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17366 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17369 @node Gnus Unplugged
17370 @section Gnus Unplugged
17375 @cindex Gnus unplugged
17377 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
17378 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
17379 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
17380 read news. Believe it or not.
17382 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
17383 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
17384 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
17385 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
17386 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
17388 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
17389 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
17390 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
17391 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
17392 reading news on a machine.
17394 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
17395 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
17397 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
17400 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
17401 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
17402 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
17403 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
17404 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
17405 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
17406 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
17407 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
17408 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
17409 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
17410 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
17411 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
17412 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17417 @subsection Agent Basics
17419 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17421 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17422 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17423 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17424 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17426 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17427 connected to the net continuously.
17429 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17430 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17432 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
17433 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
17434 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
17435 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
17436 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
17438 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
17439 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
17440 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
17441 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
17442 they're kinda like plugged always).
17444 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
17445 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
17446 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
17449 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
17450 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
17451 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
17452 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
17453 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
17455 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17460 @findex gnus-unplugged
17461 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17462 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17463 already fetched while in this mode.
17466 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17467 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17468 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17469 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
17470 Source Specifiers}).
17473 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
17474 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
17475 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
17476 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
17477 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
17480 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17481 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17482 then you read the news offline.
17485 And then you go to step 2.
17488 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17494 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17495 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17496 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17497 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17498 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17499 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17500 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17501 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17504 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17505 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17506 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17507 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
17509 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17510 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17511 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17512 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17513 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17514 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17518 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17522 @node Agent Categories
17523 @subsection Agent Categories
17525 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17526 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17527 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17528 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17529 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17530 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17531 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17533 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17534 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17535 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17536 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17537 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17539 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17540 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17541 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17542 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17543 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17546 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17547 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17548 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17549 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17550 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17551 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17555 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17556 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17557 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17561 @node Category Syntax
17562 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17564 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17565 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17566 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17569 @cindex Agent Parameters
17571 @item gnus-agent-cat-name
17572 The name of the category.
17574 @item gnus-agent-cat-groups
17575 The list of groups that are in this category.
17577 @item gnus-agent-cat-predicate
17578 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17579 are eligible for downloading; and
17581 @item gnus-agent-cat-score-file
17582 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17583 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17584 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17586 @item gnus-agent-cat-enable-expiration
17587 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17588 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17589 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17590 only groups that should not be expired.
17592 @item gnus-agent-cat-days-until-old
17593 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17594 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17596 @item gnus-agent-cat-low-score
17597 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17599 @item gnus-agent-cat-high-score
17600 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17602 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-short
17603 an integer that overrides the value of
17604 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17606 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-long
17607 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17609 @item gnus-agent-cat-disable-undownloaded-faces
17610 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should @emph{not} display
17611 undownloaded articles using the gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face
17612 faces. The symbol nil will enable the use of undownloaded faces while
17613 all other symbols disable them.
17616 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17619 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17620 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17621 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17624 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17625 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17626 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17627 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17629 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17630 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17631 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17633 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17634 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17635 operators sprinkled in between.
17637 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17639 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17640 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17646 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17647 short (for some value of ``short'').
17649 Here's a more complex predicate:
17658 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17659 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17662 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17663 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17664 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17666 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17667 you want to do, you can write your own.
17669 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17670 bound to the value determined by calling
17671 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17672 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17673 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
17674 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
17675 predicate to individual groups.
17679 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17680 lines; default 100.
17683 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17684 lines; default 200.
17687 True iff the article has a download score less than
17688 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17691 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17692 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17695 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17696 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17697 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17706 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17707 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17708 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17711 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17712 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17713 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17714 something along the lines of the following:
17717 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17718 "Say whether an article is old."
17719 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17720 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17723 with the predicate then defined as:
17726 (not my-article-old-p)
17729 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17730 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17734 (require 'gnus-agent)
17735 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17736 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17737 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17740 and simply specify your predicate as:
17746 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17747 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17748 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17749 just don't give a damn.
17751 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17752 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17753 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17754 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
17755 parameters like so:
17758 (agent-predicate . short)
17761 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17762 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17763 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17765 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17768 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17771 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17772 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17773 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17776 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17777 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17778 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17779 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17780 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17781 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17783 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17784 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17785 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17786 if it's to be specific to that group.
17788 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17795 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
17796 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
17802 Category specification
17806 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17812 Group/Topic Parameter specification
17815 (agent-score ("from"
17816 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17821 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
17827 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
17828 keywords stated above.
17834 Category specification
17837 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
17843 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
17847 Group Parameter specification
17850 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
17853 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
17858 Use @code{normal} score files
17860 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
17861 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
17862 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
17863 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
17865 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
17866 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
17867 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
17868 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
17872 Category Specification
17879 Group Parameter specification
17882 (agent-score . file)
17887 @node Category Buffer
17888 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17890 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17891 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17892 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17894 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17898 @kindex q (Category)
17899 @findex gnus-category-exit
17900 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17903 @kindex e (Category)
17904 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
17905 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
17906 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
17909 @kindex k (Category)
17910 @findex gnus-category-kill
17911 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17914 @kindex c (Category)
17915 @findex gnus-category-copy
17916 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17919 @kindex a (Category)
17920 @findex gnus-category-add
17921 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17924 @kindex p (Category)
17925 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17926 Edit the predicate of the current category
17927 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
17930 @kindex g (Category)
17931 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
17932 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
17933 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
17936 @kindex s (Category)
17937 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
17938 Edit the download score rule of the current category
17939 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
17942 @kindex l (Category)
17943 @findex gnus-category-list
17944 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
17948 @node Category Variables
17949 @subsubsection Category Variables
17952 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
17953 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
17954 Hook run in category buffers.
17956 @item gnus-category-line-format
17957 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
17958 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
17959 Variables}). Valid elements are:
17963 The name of the category.
17966 The number of groups in the category.
17969 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
17970 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
17971 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
17973 @item gnus-agent-short-article
17974 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
17975 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
17977 @item gnus-agent-long-article
17978 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
17979 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
17981 @item gnus-agent-low-score
17982 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
17983 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
17986 @item gnus-agent-high-score
17987 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
17988 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
17991 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
17992 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17993 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
17994 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
17995 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
17996 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
17997 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
17998 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18002 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18003 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18004 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18005 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18006 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18007 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18008 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18013 @node Agent Commands
18014 @subsection Agent Commands
18015 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18016 @kindex J j (Agent)
18018 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18019 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18020 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18024 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18025 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18026 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18032 @node Group Agent Commands
18033 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18037 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18038 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18039 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18040 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18043 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18044 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18045 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18048 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18049 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18050 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18051 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18054 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18055 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18056 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18057 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18060 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18061 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18062 Add the current group to an Agent category
18063 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18064 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18067 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18068 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18069 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18070 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18071 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18074 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18075 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18076 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18082 @node Summary Agent Commands
18083 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18087 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18088 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18089 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18092 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18093 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18094 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18095 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18099 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18100 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18101 Toggle whether to download the article
18102 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18106 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18107 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18108 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18111 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18112 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18113 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18114 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18117 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18118 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18119 Download all processable articles in this group.
18120 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18123 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18124 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18125 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18126 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18131 @node Server Agent Commands
18132 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18136 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18137 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18138 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18139 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18142 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18143 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18144 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18145 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18150 @node Agent Visuals
18151 @subsection Agent Visuals
18153 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18154 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18155 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18156 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18157 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18158 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18159 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18160 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18161 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18162 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18164 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18165 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18166 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18167 way, "If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18168 less than satisfying unplugged session". For this reason, the Agent
18169 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18170 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18171 articles will be available when unplugged.
18173 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18174 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18175 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18176 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18177 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18178 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18179 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18180 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18182 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18183 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18184 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18185 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18186 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18187 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18188 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18189 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18190 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18192 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18193 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18194 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18195 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18196 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear.
18198 For occasional Agent users, the undownloaded faces may appear to be an
18199 absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since most of their
18200 articles have not been fetched into the Agent, most of the normal
18201 faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces. If this is your
18202 situation, you have two choices available. First, you can completely
18203 disable the undownload faces by customizing
18204 @code{gnus-summary-highlight} to delete the three cons-cells that
18205 refer to the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face} faces. Second, if
18206 you prefer to take a more fine-grained approach, you may set the
18207 @code{agent-disable-undownloaded-faces} group parameter to t. This
18208 parameter, like all other agent parameters, may be set on an Agent
18209 Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}), a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic
18210 Parameters}), or an individual group (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18212 @node Agent as Cache
18213 @subsection Agent as Cache
18215 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18216 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18217 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18218 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18219 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18220 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18221 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18222 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18223 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18225 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18226 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18227 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18228 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18229 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18232 @subsection Agent Expiry
18234 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18235 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18236 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18237 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18238 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18239 @cindex agent expiry
18240 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18243 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18244 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18245 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18246 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18247 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18248 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18249 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18250 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18252 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18253 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18254 synchronized with the group.
18256 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18257 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18259 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18260 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18261 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18262 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18263 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18264 be kept indefinitely.
18266 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18267 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18268 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18269 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18271 @node Agent Regeneration
18272 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18274 @cindex agent regeneration
18275 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18276 @cindex regeneration
18278 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18279 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18280 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18281 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18282 internal inconsistencies.
18284 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18285 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18286 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
18287 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
18288 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
18289 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
18291 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
18292 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
18293 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
18294 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
18295 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
18296 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
18298 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18299 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18300 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
18301 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
18302 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
18303 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
18306 @node Agent and IMAP
18307 @subsection Agent and IMAP
18309 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
18310 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
18311 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
18312 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
18314 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
18315 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
18316 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
18317 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
18319 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
18320 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
18321 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
18322 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
18324 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18325 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
18326 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
18327 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
18328 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
18329 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
18331 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
18332 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
18333 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
18334 in the group buffer.
18336 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
18337 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
18342 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
18345 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
18349 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
18350 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
18351 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
18352 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
18353 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
18354 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
18355 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
18356 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
18359 @node Outgoing Messages
18360 @subsection Outgoing Messages
18362 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
18363 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
18364 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
18366 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
18367 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
18368 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
18369 messages in the draft group.
18373 @node Agent Variables
18374 @subsection Agent Variables
18377 @item gnus-agent-directory
18378 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
18379 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
18380 @file{~/News/agent/}.
18382 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
18383 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
18384 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
18385 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
18386 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
18389 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18390 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18391 Hook run when connecting to the network.
18393 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18394 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18395 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
18397 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18398 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18399 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
18401 @item gnus-agent-cache
18402 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
18403 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
18404 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
18405 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
18407 @item gnus-agent-go-online
18408 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
18409 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
18410 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
18411 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
18412 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
18413 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
18416 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18417 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18418 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
18419 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
18420 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
18421 read. The default is t.
18423 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18424 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18425 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
18426 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
18427 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
18428 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
18429 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
18430 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
18431 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
18432 over and over again.
18434 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18435 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18436 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
18437 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
18438 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
18439 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
18440 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
18441 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
18442 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
18443 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
18444 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
18445 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
18448 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
18449 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
18450 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
18451 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
18452 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
18453 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
18454 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
18455 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
18456 is only valid if the Agent is used.
18458 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18459 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18460 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
18461 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
18462 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
18463 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
18465 The legal values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
18466 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
18467 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
18468 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
18469 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
18471 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18472 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18473 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
18474 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
18475 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
18476 which backends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
18477 to agentize remote backends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
18478 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
18479 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
18480 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
18481 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
18486 @node Example Setup
18487 @subsection Example Setup
18489 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
18490 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
18491 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
18494 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
18495 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
18496 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
18498 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
18499 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
18500 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
18502 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
18503 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
18505 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
18506 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
18507 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
18510 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
18511 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
18514 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
18515 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
18516 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
18517 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
18518 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
18521 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
18522 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
18523 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18524 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18525 back all the killed groups.)
18527 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18528 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18529 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18532 @node Batching Agents
18533 @subsection Batching Agents
18534 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18536 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18537 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18538 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18540 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18541 following incantation:
18545 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18549 @node Agent Caveats
18550 @subsection Agent Caveats
18552 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18553 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18557 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18559 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
18560 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18561 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18563 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18564 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18566 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18570 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18571 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18572 locally stored articles.
18579 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18580 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18581 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18584 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18585 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18586 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18587 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18588 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18590 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18591 before generating the summary buffer.
18593 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18594 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18595 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18597 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18598 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18599 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18600 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18603 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18604 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18605 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18606 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18607 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18608 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18609 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18610 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18611 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18612 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18613 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18614 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18615 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18616 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18617 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
18618 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18619 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18623 @node Summary Score Commands
18624 @section Summary Score Commands
18625 @cindex score commands
18627 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18628 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18629 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18630 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18631 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18633 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18634 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18635 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
18636 score file the current one.
18638 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
18643 @kindex V s (Summary)
18644 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
18645 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
18648 @kindex V S (Summary)
18649 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
18650 Display the score of the current article
18651 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
18654 @kindex V t (Summary)
18655 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
18656 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
18657 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
18658 can use @kbd{q} to quit. @kbd{e} edits the corresponding score file.
18659 When point is on a string within the match element, @kbd{e} will try to
18660 bring you to this string in the score file.
18663 @kindex V w (Summary)
18664 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
18665 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
18668 @kindex V R (Summary)
18669 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
18670 Run the current summary through the scoring process
18671 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
18672 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
18673 effect you're having.
18676 @kindex V c (Summary)
18677 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
18678 Make a different score file the current
18679 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
18682 @kindex V e (Summary)
18683 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
18684 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
18685 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
18689 @kindex V f (Summary)
18690 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
18691 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
18692 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
18695 @kindex V F (Summary)
18696 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18697 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
18698 after editing score files.
18701 @kindex V C (Summary)
18702 @findex gnus-score-customize
18703 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
18704 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
18708 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18713 @kindex V m (Summary)
18714 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18715 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18716 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18719 @kindex V x (Summary)
18720 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18721 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18722 expunge all articles below this score
18723 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18726 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18727 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18730 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18731 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18735 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18736 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18738 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18739 keys are available:
18743 Score on the author name.
18746 Score on the subject line.
18749 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18752 Score on the @code{References} line.
18758 Score on the number of lines.
18761 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
18764 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
18765 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
18768 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
18769 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
18770 @file{ADAPT} files.)
18779 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
18785 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
18786 what headers you are scoring on.
18798 Substring matching.
18801 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
18830 Greater than number.
18835 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
18836 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
18837 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
18842 Temporary score entry.
18845 Permanent score entry.
18848 Immediately scoring.
18852 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
18853 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
18854 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
18858 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
18859 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
18860 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
18861 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
18863 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
18864 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
18865 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
18866 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
18867 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
18869 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
18870 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
18871 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
18872 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
18873 current score file.
18875 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
18876 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
18877 pretend they are keymaps or not.
18880 @node Group Score Commands
18881 @section Group Score Commands
18882 @cindex group score commands
18884 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
18889 @kindex W f (Group)
18890 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18891 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
18892 all the time. This command will flush the cache
18893 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
18897 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
18899 @findex gnus-batch-score
18900 @cindex batch scoring
18902 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
18906 @node Score Variables
18907 @section Score Variables
18908 @cindex score variables
18912 @item gnus-use-scoring
18913 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
18914 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
18915 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
18917 @item gnus-kill-killed
18918 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
18919 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
18920 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
18921 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
18922 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
18923 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
18924 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
18926 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
18927 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
18928 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
18929 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
18930 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
18932 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
18933 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
18934 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
18935 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
18937 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18938 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18939 @cindex score cache
18940 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
18941 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
18942 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
18943 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
18944 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
18945 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
18946 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
18949 @item gnus-save-score
18950 @vindex gnus-save-score
18951 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
18952 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
18953 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18955 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
18956 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
18957 across group visits.
18959 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18960 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18961 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
18962 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
18963 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
18964 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
18965 manually entered data.
18967 @item gnus-summary-default-score
18968 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
18969 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
18971 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
18972 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
18973 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
18974 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
18975 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
18976 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
18978 @item gnus-score-over-mark
18979 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
18980 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
18981 default. Default is @samp{+}.
18983 @item gnus-score-below-mark
18984 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
18985 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
18986 default. Default is @samp{-}.
18988 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18989 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18990 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
18991 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
18993 Predefined functions available are:
18996 @item gnus-score-find-single
18997 @findex gnus-score-find-single
18998 Only apply the group's own score file.
19000 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19001 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19002 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19003 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19004 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19005 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19006 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19007 then a regexp match is done.
19009 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19010 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19012 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19013 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19014 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19015 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19017 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19018 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19019 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19020 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19021 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19025 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19026 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19027 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19028 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19029 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19030 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19031 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19034 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19035 overall score file, you could use the value
19037 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19038 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19041 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19042 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19043 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19044 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19045 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19047 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19048 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19049 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19050 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19051 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19052 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19053 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19054 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19056 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19057 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19058 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19060 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19061 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19062 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19063 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19064 threading---according to the current value of
19065 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19066 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19067 simplified in this manner.
19072 @node Score File Format
19073 @section Score File Format
19074 @cindex score file format
19076 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19077 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19078 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19080 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19084 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19086 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19088 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19090 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19095 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19099 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19100 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19101 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19102 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19106 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19107 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19109 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19110 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19111 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19113 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19118 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19119 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19120 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19121 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19122 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19123 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19124 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19125 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19126 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19127 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19128 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19129 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19130 to articles that matches these score entries.
19132 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19133 score entry has one to four elements.
19137 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19138 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19142 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19143 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19144 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19145 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19146 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19147 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19150 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19151 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19152 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19153 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19154 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19157 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19158 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19159 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19160 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19163 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19164 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19165 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19166 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19167 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19168 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19169 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19170 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19171 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19172 instead, if you feel like.
19175 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19176 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19177 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19178 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19179 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19180 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19184 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19185 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19189 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19190 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19192 These predicates are true if
19195 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19198 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19199 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19206 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19207 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19208 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19209 it's not. I think.)
19211 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19212 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19213 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19214 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19217 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19218 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19219 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19220 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19221 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19222 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19223 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
19227 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
19228 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
19229 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
19230 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
19231 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
19232 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
19233 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
19234 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
19237 @item Head, Body, All
19238 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
19242 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
19243 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
19244 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
19245 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
19246 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
19247 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
19248 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
19252 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
19253 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
19254 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
19255 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
19256 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
19257 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
19258 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
19259 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
19260 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
19261 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
19262 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
19266 @cindex score file atoms
19268 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19269 lower than this number will be marked as read.
19272 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19273 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
19275 @item mark-and-expunge
19276 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19277 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
19280 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
19281 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
19282 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
19283 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
19284 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
19287 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
19288 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
19291 @item exclude-files
19292 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
19293 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
19297 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
19298 ignored when handling global score files.
19301 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
19302 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
19303 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
19304 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
19307 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
19308 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
19309 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
19310 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
19312 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
19316 (mark-and-expunge -100)
19319 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
19320 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
19321 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
19322 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
19323 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
19325 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
19326 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
19327 scoring rules exist.
19330 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
19331 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
19332 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
19333 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
19334 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
19335 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
19336 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19337 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
19338 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
19339 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
19340 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
19344 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
19345 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
19346 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
19347 file for a number of groups.
19350 @cindex local variables
19351 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
19352 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
19353 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
19354 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
19355 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
19360 @node Score File Editing
19361 @section Score File Editing
19363 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
19364 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
19365 with a mode for that.
19367 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
19368 additional commands:
19373 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
19374 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
19375 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
19376 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
19379 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
19380 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
19381 Insert the current date in numerical format
19382 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
19383 you were wondering.
19386 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
19387 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
19388 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
19389 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
19390 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
19395 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
19397 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
19398 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
19400 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
19401 e} to begin editing score files.
19404 @node Adaptive Scoring
19405 @section Adaptive Scoring
19406 @cindex adaptive scoring
19408 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
19409 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
19410 stupidity, to be precise.
19412 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
19413 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
19414 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
19415 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
19416 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19417 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
19418 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
19419 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
19420 variable to @code{(word line)}.
19422 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19423 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
19424 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
19425 might look something like this:
19428 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19429 '((gnus-unread-mark)
19430 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
19431 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
19432 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
19433 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
19434 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
19435 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
19436 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
19437 (gnus-ancient-mark)
19438 (gnus-low-score-mark)
19439 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
19442 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
19443 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
19444 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
19445 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
19446 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
19447 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
19450 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
19451 will be applied to each article.
19453 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
19454 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
19455 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
19456 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
19458 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
19459 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
19460 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
19461 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
19463 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
19464 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
19465 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
19466 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
19468 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
19469 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
19470 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
19471 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
19472 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
19473 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
19475 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
19476 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
19477 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
19479 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
19480 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
19481 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
19483 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
19484 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
19485 let you use different rules in different groups.
19487 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
19488 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
19489 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
19492 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
19493 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
19494 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
19495 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
19496 the length of the match is less than
19497 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
19498 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
19501 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19502 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
19503 headers. If you adapt on words, the
19504 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
19505 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
19508 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19509 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
19510 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
19511 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
19512 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
19515 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
19516 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
19517 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
19518 score with 30 points.
19520 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
19521 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
19522 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
19523 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
19524 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
19526 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
19527 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
19528 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19529 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19530 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19532 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19533 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19534 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19535 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19537 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19538 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19539 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19540 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19542 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19543 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19544 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19545 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19546 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19548 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19549 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19550 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19552 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19553 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19554 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19555 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19558 @node Home Score File
19559 @section Home Score File
19561 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19562 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19563 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19564 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19566 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19567 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19568 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19570 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19571 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19576 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19580 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19581 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19585 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19589 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19590 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19593 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
19594 be used as the home score file.
19597 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19600 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19605 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19608 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19609 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19612 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19613 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19615 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19617 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19618 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19621 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19622 Other functions include
19625 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
19626 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
19627 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
19628 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
19632 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
19633 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
19634 their own home score files:
19637 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19638 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
19639 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
19640 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
19641 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
19644 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
19645 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
19646 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
19647 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
19648 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
19650 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
19651 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
19652 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
19653 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
19654 precedence over this variable.
19657 @node Followups To Yourself
19658 @section Followups To Yourself
19660 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
19661 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
19662 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
19663 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
19664 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
19665 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
19669 @item gnus-score-followup-article
19670 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
19671 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
19674 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
19675 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
19676 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
19680 @vindex message-sent-hook
19681 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
19682 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
19684 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
19688 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
19689 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
19693 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19694 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19697 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
19698 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
19703 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
19707 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
19708 is system-dependent.
19711 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19712 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19713 @cindex scoring on other headers
19715 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19716 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19717 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19718 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19719 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19721 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19722 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
19723 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
19724 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
19725 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19727 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
19730 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19731 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19734 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19735 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19736 time if you have much mail.
19738 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19739 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19745 @section Scoring Tips
19746 @cindex scoring tips
19752 @cindex scoring crossposts
19753 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19754 the @code{Xref} header.
19756 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
19759 @item Multiple crossposts
19760 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
19761 more than, say, 3 groups:
19764 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
19768 @item Matching on the body
19769 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
19770 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
19771 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
19772 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
19773 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
19774 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
19775 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
19778 @item Marking as read
19779 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
19780 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
19781 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
19785 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
19787 @item Negated character classes
19788 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
19789 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
19790 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
19794 @node Reverse Scoring
19795 @section Reverse Scoring
19796 @cindex reverse scoring
19798 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
19799 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
19800 like this in your score file:
19804 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
19809 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
19810 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
19813 @node Global Score Files
19814 @section Global Score Files
19815 @cindex global score files
19817 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
19818 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
19819 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
19821 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
19822 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
19823 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
19825 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
19826 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
19827 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
19828 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
19829 files are applicable to which group.
19831 To use the score file
19832 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
19833 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
19837 (setq gnus-global-score-files
19838 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
19839 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
19842 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
19844 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
19845 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
19846 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
19847 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
19849 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
19850 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
19852 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
19853 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
19854 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
19855 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
19856 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
19857 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
19859 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
19865 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
19867 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
19869 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
19871 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
19872 lowered out of existence.
19874 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
19875 articles completely.
19878 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
19879 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
19880 old articles for a long time.
19883 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
19884 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
19885 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
19886 holding our breath yet?
19890 @section Kill Files
19893 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
19894 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
19895 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
19897 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
19898 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
19899 files into score files.
19901 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
19902 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
19903 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
19904 that isn't a very good idea.
19906 Normal kill files look like this:
19909 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19910 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
19914 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
19915 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
19917 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
19918 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
19921 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
19926 @kindex M-k (Summary)
19927 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
19928 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
19931 @kindex M-K (Summary)
19932 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
19933 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
19936 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
19941 @kindex M-k (Group)
19942 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
19943 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
19946 @kindex M-K (Group)
19947 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
19948 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
19951 Kill file variables:
19954 @item gnus-kill-file-name
19955 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
19956 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
19957 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
19958 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
19959 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
19960 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
19962 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19963 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19964 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
19965 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
19968 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
19969 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
19970 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
19971 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
19972 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
19973 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
19974 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
19975 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
19976 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
19978 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19979 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19980 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
19985 @node Converting Kill Files
19986 @section Converting Kill Files
19988 @cindex converting kill files
19990 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
19991 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
19992 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
19995 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
19996 You can fetch it from
19997 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
19999 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20000 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20001 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20009 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
20010 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
20012 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/, GroupLens} is a
20013 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
20014 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
20015 news articles generated every day.
20017 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
20018 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
20019 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
20020 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
20021 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
20022 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
20023 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
20024 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
20028 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
20029 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
20030 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
20031 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
20035 @node Using GroupLens
20036 @subsection Using GroupLens
20038 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local
20039 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html, Better Bit
20040 Bureau (BBB)} is the only better bit in town at the moment.
20042 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
20046 @item gnus-use-grouplens
20047 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
20048 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
20049 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
20051 @item grouplens-pseudonym
20052 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
20053 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
20054 with the Better Bit Bureau.
20056 @item grouplens-newsgroups
20057 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
20058 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
20062 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
20063 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
20064 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
20065 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
20066 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
20067 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
20070 @node Rating Articles
20071 @subsection Rating Articles
20073 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
20074 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
20075 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
20076 yourself is, ``on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
20079 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
20084 @kindex r (GroupLens)
20085 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
20086 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
20089 @kindex k (GroupLens)
20090 @findex grouplens-score-thread
20091 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
20092 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
20093 threads in rec.humor.
20097 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
20098 the score of the article you're reading.
20103 @kindex n (GroupLens)
20104 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
20105 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
20108 @kindex , (GroupLens)
20109 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
20110 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
20114 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
20115 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
20118 @node Displaying Predictions
20119 @subsection Displaying Predictions
20121 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
20122 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
20123 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
20124 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
20125 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
20127 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
20128 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
20129 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
20130 regular Gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
20131 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
20132 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
20133 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
20134 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
20135 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
20136 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
20137 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
20138 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
20139 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
20141 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
20142 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
20143 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
20144 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
20146 The following are valid values for that variable.
20149 @item prediction-spot
20150 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
20153 @item confidence-interval
20154 A numeric confidence interval.
20156 @item prediction-bar
20157 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
20159 @item confidence-bar
20160 Numerical confidence.
20162 @item confidence-spot
20163 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
20165 @item prediction-num
20166 Plain-old numeric value.
20168 @item confidence-plus-minus
20169 Prediction +/- confidence.
20174 @node GroupLens Variables
20175 @subsection GroupLens Variables
20179 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
20180 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
20181 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
20182 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
20185 @item grouplens-bbb-host
20186 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
20189 @item grouplens-bbb-port
20190 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
20192 @item grouplens-score-offset
20193 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
20194 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
20197 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
20198 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
20199 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
20204 @node Advanced Scoring
20205 @section Advanced Scoring
20207 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20208 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20209 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20210 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20211 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20213 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20217 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20218 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20219 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20223 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20224 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20226 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20227 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20228 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20229 non-@code{nil} value.
20231 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20232 operator, and various match operators.
20239 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20240 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20241 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20246 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20247 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20248 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20253 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20254 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20258 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20259 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20260 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20261 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20262 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20263 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20264 the ancestry you want to go.
20266 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20267 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20268 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20269 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20270 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20273 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20274 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20276 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20277 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20280 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20281 when he's talking about Gnus:
20286 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20287 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20294 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20298 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20305 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20306 really don't want to read what he's written:
20310 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20311 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20315 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20316 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20317 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20324 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20325 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20326 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20327 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20331 The possibilities are endless.
20334 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20335 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20337 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20338 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20339 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20340 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20341 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20342 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20343 @samp{subject}) first.
20345 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20346 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20357 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20358 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20364 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20371 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20372 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20377 @section Score Decays
20378 @cindex score decays
20381 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20382 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20383 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20384 use them in any sensible way.
20386 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20387 @findex gnus-decay-score
20388 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20389 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20390 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20391 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20392 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20393 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
20394 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
20395 definition of that function:
20398 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20399 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20400 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20402 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
20404 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20406 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20407 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
20408 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
20409 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
20410 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
20412 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
20416 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20417 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20418 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20419 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20423 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20426 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20429 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
20433 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
20434 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
20435 the new score, which should be an integer.
20437 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
20438 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
20443 @include message.texi
20444 @chapter Emacs MIME
20445 @include emacs-mime.texi
20447 @include sieve.texi
20457 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
20458 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
20459 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
20460 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
20461 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
20462 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
20463 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
20464 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
20465 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
20466 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
20467 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
20468 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
20469 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
20470 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
20471 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
20472 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
20473 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
20474 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
20475 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
20479 @node Process/Prefix
20480 @section Process/Prefix
20481 @cindex process/prefix convention
20483 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
20484 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
20486 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
20487 command to be performed on.
20491 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
20492 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
20493 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
20494 with the current one.
20496 @vindex transient-mark-mode
20497 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
20498 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
20500 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
20501 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
20504 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
20505 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
20507 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
20510 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
20511 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
20512 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
20513 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20515 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
20516 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
20517 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
20518 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
20519 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
20520 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
20521 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
20522 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
20524 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
20525 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
20526 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
20527 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
20528 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
20532 @section Interactive
20533 @cindex interaction
20537 @item gnus-novice-user
20538 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20539 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20540 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20541 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20542 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20545 @item gnus-expert-user
20546 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20547 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20548 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20549 matter how strange.
20551 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20552 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20553 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20554 is @code{t} by default.
20556 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20557 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20558 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20563 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20564 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20565 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20567 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20568 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20569 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20570 rule of 900 to the current article.
20572 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20573 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20574 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20575 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20576 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20577 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20578 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20580 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20581 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20582 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20583 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20584 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20585 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20586 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20587 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20588 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20590 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20591 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20592 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20594 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20598 @node Formatting Variables
20599 @section Formatting Variables
20600 @cindex formatting variables
20602 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20603 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20604 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20605 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20606 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20609 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20610 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20611 lots of percentages everywhere.
20614 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20615 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20616 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20617 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20618 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20619 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20620 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20621 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20624 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20625 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20626 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20627 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20628 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20629 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20630 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20631 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20633 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20634 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20636 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20637 @findex gnus-update-format
20638 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20639 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20640 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20641 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20645 @node Formatting Basics
20646 @subsection Formatting Basics
20648 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20649 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20650 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20652 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20653 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20654 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20655 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20656 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20659 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20660 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20661 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20662 less than 4 characters wide.
20664 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20665 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20668 @node Mode Line Formatting
20669 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20671 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20672 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20673 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20674 with the following two differences:
20679 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20682 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20683 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20684 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20685 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20686 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20687 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20688 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20693 @node Advanced Formatting
20694 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20696 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20697 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20698 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20699 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20701 These are the valid modifiers:
20706 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20710 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20715 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20718 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20723 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20726 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20729 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20732 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20738 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20743 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20744 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20745 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20746 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20747 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20748 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20749 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20751 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20752 last operation, padding.
20754 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
20755 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
20756 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
20757 @xref{Compilation}.
20760 @node User-Defined Specs
20761 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20763 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20764 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20765 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20766 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20767 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20768 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20769 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20770 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20771 should protect against that.
20773 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20774 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20776 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20777 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20778 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20779 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20783 @node Formatting Fonts
20784 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20786 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20787 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20788 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20789 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20792 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20793 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20794 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20795 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20796 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20797 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20799 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20800 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20801 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20802 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20803 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20804 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20805 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20806 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20807 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20808 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20809 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20812 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20815 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
20816 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20817 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20819 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
20820 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
20821 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
20822 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20823 ;; @r{Set the color.}
20824 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20825 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20827 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
20828 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20829 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20832 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20833 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20835 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20836 mode-line variables.
20838 @node Positioning Point
20839 @subsection Positioning Point
20841 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20842 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20843 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20845 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20847 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20848 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20849 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20851 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20852 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20853 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20858 @subsection Tabulation
20860 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20861 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20862 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20863 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20865 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
20866 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20868 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20869 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20870 This is the soft tabulator.
20872 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20873 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20874 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20877 @node Wide Characters
20878 @subsection Wide Characters
20880 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20881 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20882 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20884 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20885 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20886 these countries, that's not true.
20888 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20889 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20890 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20891 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20895 @node Window Layout
20896 @section Window Layout
20897 @cindex window layout
20899 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20901 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20902 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20903 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20904 @code{t} by default.
20906 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20907 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20909 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20910 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20911 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20914 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20915 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20916 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20920 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20921 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20922 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20923 possible names is listed below.
20925 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20926 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20929 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20933 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20934 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20935 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20936 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20937 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20938 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20939 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20940 size spec per split.
20942 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20943 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20944 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20945 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20946 present) gets focus.
20948 Here's a more complicated example:
20951 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
20952 (summary 0.25 point)
20953 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
20957 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
20958 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
20959 occupy, not a percentage.
20961 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
20962 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
20963 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
20964 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
20965 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
20968 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
20971 (article (horizontal 1.0
20976 (summary 0.25 point)
20981 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20982 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20984 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20985 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
20986 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
20987 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
20988 the screen is to be given to this strip.
20990 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
20991 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
20992 lines from the splits.
20994 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
20999 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21000 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21001 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21002 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21003 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21004 size = number | frame-params
21005 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21009 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21010 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21011 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21012 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21014 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21015 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21016 @cindex window height
21017 @cindex window width
21018 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21019 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21020 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21021 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21022 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21023 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21025 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21026 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21027 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21028 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21030 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21031 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21032 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21033 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21034 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21035 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21036 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21037 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21038 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21039 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21040 configuration list.
21043 (gnus-configure-frame
21047 (article 0.3 point))
21055 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21056 @code{frame} split:
21059 (gnus-configure-frame
21062 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21064 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21065 (user-position . t)
21066 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21071 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21072 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21073 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21074 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21075 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21076 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21077 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21078 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21080 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21081 be found in its default value.
21083 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21084 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21085 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21089 (message (horizontal 1.0
21090 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21092 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21097 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21098 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21099 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21104 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21105 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21106 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21107 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21108 (name . "Message"))
21109 (message 1.0 point))))
21112 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21113 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21114 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21115 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21116 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21119 (gnus-add-configuration
21120 '(article (vertical 1.0
21122 (summary .25 point)
21126 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21127 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21128 Gnus has been loaded.
21130 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21131 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21132 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21133 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21134 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21136 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21137 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21138 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21141 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21145 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21146 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21161 (gnus-add-configuration
21164 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21166 (summary 0.16 point)
21169 (gnus-add-configuration
21172 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21173 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21179 @node Faces and Fonts
21180 @section Faces and Fonts
21185 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21186 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21187 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21192 @section Compilation
21193 @cindex compilation
21194 @cindex byte-compilation
21196 @findex gnus-compile
21198 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21199 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21200 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
21201 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21202 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21203 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21206 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21207 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21208 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21209 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
21210 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
21211 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
21212 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
21216 @section Mode Lines
21219 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21220 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21221 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21222 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21223 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21224 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21225 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21228 @cindex display-time
21230 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21231 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21232 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21233 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21234 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21235 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21236 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21237 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21240 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21242 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21243 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21245 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21246 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21247 (length display-time-string)))))
21250 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21251 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21252 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21253 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21254 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21257 @node Highlighting and Menus
21258 @section Highlighting and Menus
21260 @cindex highlighting
21263 @vindex gnus-visual
21264 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21265 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21266 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21269 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21270 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21273 @item group-highlight
21274 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21275 @item summary-highlight
21276 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21277 @item article-highlight
21278 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21280 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21282 Create menus in the group buffer.
21284 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21286 Create menus in the article buffer.
21288 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21290 Create menus in the server buffer.
21292 Create menus in the score buffers.
21294 Create menus in all buffers.
21297 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21298 buffers, you could say something like:
21301 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21304 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21307 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21310 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21311 in all Gnus buffers.
21313 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21316 @item gnus-mouse-face
21317 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21318 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21319 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21323 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21327 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21328 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21329 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21331 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21332 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21333 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21335 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21336 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21337 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21339 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21340 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21341 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21343 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21344 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21345 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21347 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21348 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21349 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21360 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21361 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21362 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21363 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21364 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21368 @vindex gnus-carpal
21369 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21370 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21371 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21376 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21377 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21378 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21380 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21381 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21382 Face used on buttons.
21384 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21385 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21386 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21388 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21389 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21390 Buttons in the group buffer.
21392 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21393 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21394 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21396 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21397 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21398 Buttons in the server buffer.
21400 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21401 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21402 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21405 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21406 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21407 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21415 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21416 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
21417 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
21418 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
21419 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
21421 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
21422 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
21423 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
21425 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
21426 been idle for thirty minutes:
21429 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
21432 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
21436 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
21439 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
21440 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
21441 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21443 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
21444 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
21445 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
21446 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21448 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
21449 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
21450 @var{idle} minutes.
21452 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
21453 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
21456 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
21457 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
21458 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
21460 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
21461 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
21462 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
21463 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
21465 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
21466 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21468 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
21470 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
21473 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
21474 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
21475 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
21476 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
21477 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
21478 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
21479 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
21480 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
21481 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
21482 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
21483 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
21485 @findex gnus-demon-init
21486 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
21487 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
21488 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
21489 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
21490 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
21492 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
21493 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
21494 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
21503 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
21504 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
21506 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
21507 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
21508 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
21509 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
21512 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
21513 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
21514 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
21515 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
21517 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
21518 this will make spam disappear.
21520 There are some variables to customize, of course:
21523 @item gnus-use-nocem
21524 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
21525 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21528 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21529 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21530 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21533 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21534 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
21537 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21538 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21539 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21540 people you want to listen to. The default is
21542 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
21543 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
21545 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21547 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
21548 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21550 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21551 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21552 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21553 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21554 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21555 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21556 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21557 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21558 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21559 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21561 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21562 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21565 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21568 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21569 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21572 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21575 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21578 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21579 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21581 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21582 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21583 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
21584 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21586 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
21587 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
21590 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
21592 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
21600 This might be dangerous, though.
21602 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21603 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21604 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
21605 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21607 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21608 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21609 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21610 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21611 might then see old spam.
21613 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21614 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21615 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21616 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21617 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21620 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21621 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21622 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21623 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21627 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21628 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21629 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21630 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21637 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21638 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21639 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21641 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21642 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21643 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21644 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21645 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21646 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21647 @code{undo} function.
21649 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21650 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21651 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21652 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21653 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21654 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21655 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21656 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21657 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21658 never be totally undoable.
21660 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21661 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21663 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21664 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21665 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21666 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21670 @node Predicate Specifiers
21671 @section Predicate Specifiers
21672 @cindex predicate specifiers
21674 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21675 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21676 to type all that much.
21678 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21683 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21684 gnus-article-unread-p)
21687 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21688 functions all take one parameter.
21690 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21691 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21692 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21693 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21698 @section Moderation
21701 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21702 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21703 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21706 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21710 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21713 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21715 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21720 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21721 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21722 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21725 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21726 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21729 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21730 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21734 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21737 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21738 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21742 @node Image Enhancements
21743 @section Image Enhancements
21745 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
21746 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
21747 taken advantage of that.
21750 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21751 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
21752 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21753 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21754 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21762 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21763 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21764 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21768 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21769 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21770 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21778 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21779 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21780 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21781 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21783 The variable that controls this is the
21784 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21785 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21786 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21787 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21788 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21790 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21791 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21792 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21793 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21796 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21797 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21798 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21799 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21800 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21801 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21802 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21803 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21805 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21808 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21809 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21811 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21812 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21813 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21814 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21815 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21816 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21817 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21818 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21819 header data as a string.
21821 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21822 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21823 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21824 randomly generated data.
21826 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21827 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21828 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21829 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21830 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21832 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21833 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21836 (setq message-required-news-headers
21837 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21838 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21841 Using the last function would be something like this:
21844 (setq message-required-news-headers
21845 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21846 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21847 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21848 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21856 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
21858 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
21859 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
21860 represent the author of the message.
21863 @findex gnus-article-display-face
21864 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
21865 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
21868 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21869 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
21871 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
21872 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
21873 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
21875 @findex gnus-face-from-file
21876 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
21877 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
21878 converts the file to Face format by using the
21879 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
21881 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
21882 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21885 (setq message-required-news-headers
21886 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21887 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
21888 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
21893 @subsection Smileys
21898 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
21903 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
21904 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
21906 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
21907 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21910 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
21913 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
21914 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
21915 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
21916 text and maps that to file names.
21918 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
21919 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
21920 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
21921 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
21922 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
21925 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
21930 @item smiley-data-directory
21931 @vindex smiley-data-directory
21932 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
21934 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
21935 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
21936 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
21950 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
21951 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
21952 over your shoulder as you read news.
21954 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
21963 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
21964 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
21965 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
21966 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
21967 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
21968 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
21969 @code{GIF} formats.
21972 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21973 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
21974 point your Web browser at
21975 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
21977 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
21978 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
21980 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
21981 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
21984 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
21988 @item gnus-picon-databases
21989 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21990 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
21991 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
21992 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
21993 "/usr/local/faces")}.
21995 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
21996 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
21997 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21998 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22000 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22001 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22002 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22003 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22005 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22006 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22007 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22008 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22009 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22011 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22012 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22013 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22014 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22020 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22023 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22024 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22025 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22026 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22027 unusual directory structure.
22029 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22030 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22031 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
22032 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
22034 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22035 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22036 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
22037 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
22038 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
22039 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
22041 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22042 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22043 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22048 @subsubsection Toolbar
22052 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22053 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22054 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
22055 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
22056 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
22058 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22059 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22060 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22062 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22063 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22064 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22066 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22067 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22068 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22079 @node Fuzzy Matching
22080 @section Fuzzy Matching
22081 @cindex fuzzy matching
22083 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22084 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22086 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22087 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22088 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22090 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22091 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22092 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22093 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22094 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22097 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22098 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22102 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22104 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22105 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22106 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22107 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22108 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22109 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22110 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22111 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22114 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22115 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22116 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22117 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22118 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22119 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22121 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22124 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22125 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22126 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22127 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22128 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22129 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22132 @node The problem of spam
22133 @subsection The problem of spam
22135 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22136 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22138 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22140 First, some background on spam.
22142 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22143 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
22144 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
22145 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
22146 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
22147 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
22148 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
22149 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22151 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22152 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22153 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22154 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22155 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22156 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22157 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22158 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22159 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22162 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
22163 spam messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
22164 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
22165 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
22166 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
22167 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
22168 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
22169 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
22170 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
22171 mail can be useful.
22173 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22174 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22175 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22176 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22177 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into
22178 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the
22179 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
22180 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
22181 message is spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22183 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22184 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22185 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22186 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22187 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22188 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
22189 because of the incident.
22191 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22192 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22193 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22194 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22195 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22196 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22197 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22198 to store the database of spam analyses.
22200 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22201 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22205 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22207 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22208 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22210 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22211 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22212 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22213 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22214 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22215 part of the mail address.)
22218 (setq message-default-news-headers
22219 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22222 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22223 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22227 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22228 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22229 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22234 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22235 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22236 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22237 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22239 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22240 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22241 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22242 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22243 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22244 your fancy split rule in this way:
22249 (to "larsi" "misc")
22253 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22254 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22255 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22256 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22257 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22259 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22260 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22261 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22262 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22267 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
22268 @cindex SpamAssassin
22269 @cindex Vipul's Razor
22272 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
22273 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
22274 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
22275 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
22276 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22277 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22278 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22280 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22281 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22282 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22283 Specifiers}) follow.
22287 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22291 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22294 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22295 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22296 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22299 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22303 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22306 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22307 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22311 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22312 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22313 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22314 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22317 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22319 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22323 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22324 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22328 Note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will not be
22329 downloaded by default. You need to set
22330 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to t to do that (@pxref{Splitting in
22333 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22334 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22335 spam. And here is the nifty function:
22338 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
22339 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
22341 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
22342 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
22343 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
22347 @subsection Hashcash
22350 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
22351 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
22352 you cannot rely on everyone in the world using this technique,
22353 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
22354 in smaller communities.
22356 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
22357 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
22358 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
22359 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
22360 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
22361 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
22362 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
22363 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
22364 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
22365 one of them separately.
22368 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
22369 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
22370 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
22371 header. For more details, and for the external application
22372 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
22373 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
22374 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
22376 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
22380 (require 'hashcash)
22381 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
22384 The @file{hashcash.el} library can be found in the Gnus development
22385 contrib directory or at
22386 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}.
22388 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
22392 @item hashcash-default-payment
22393 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
22394 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
22395 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
22396 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
22398 @item hashcash-payment-alist
22399 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
22400 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
22401 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
22402 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
22403 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
22404 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
22405 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
22406 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
22410 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
22414 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
22415 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
22416 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
22417 a useful contribution, however.
22419 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22420 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22421 @cindex spam filtering
22424 The idea behind @file{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
22425 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @file{spam.el} does two things: it
22426 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
22427 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @file{spam.el} to indicate
22430 First of all, you @strong{must} run the function
22431 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @code{spam.el} and to install the
22432 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
22433 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
22434 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
22437 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
22441 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
22443 You get the following keyboard commands:
22453 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
22454 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
22456 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
22457 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
22458 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
22459 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
22465 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
22466 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
22468 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
22474 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
22475 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
22478 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
22479 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
22480 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
22481 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
22482 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
22483 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
22484 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
22485 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
22486 will be detected later.
22488 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
22489 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
22490 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
22491 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
22492 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
22493 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
22494 by customizing the corresponding variable
22495 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
22496 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
22497 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
22498 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
22499 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
22500 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
22501 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
22504 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
22506 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
22507 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
22508 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
22509 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
22510 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
22511 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
22512 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
22513 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
22514 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
22515 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
22516 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
22517 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
22518 processor which will study them as spam samples.
22520 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
22521 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
22522 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
22523 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
22524 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
22525 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
22526 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
22527 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
22530 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22531 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
22532 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
22536 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22537 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
22541 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
22542 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
22543 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
22544 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
22545 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
22546 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
22549 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
22550 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
22551 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
22552 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
22553 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
22554 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
22555 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
22556 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
22557 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with
22558 @code{customize-variable gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
22559 newsgroup specification has the format (REGEXP PROCESSOR) in a
22560 standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually.
22561 The ultimate location is a group name. If the
22562 @code{ham-process-destination} parameter is not set, ham articles are
22563 left in place. If the
22564 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
22565 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
22567 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
22568 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
22570 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
22571 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
22572 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
22573 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
22574 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
22576 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
22577 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
22578 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
22579 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
22580 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
22583 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
22584 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
22585 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
22586 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
22587 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
22588 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
22589 customize this variable with @code{customize-variable
22590 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each newsgroup specification has
22591 the repeated format (REGEXP PROCESSOR) and they are all in a standard
22592 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. The
22593 ultimate location is a group name. If the
22594 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
22595 articles are only expired.
22597 To use the @file{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
22598 must add the following to your fancy split list
22599 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
22605 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
22606 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
22607 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
22609 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
22610 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
22611 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
22612 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
22613 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
22614 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
22615 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
22616 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
22617 actually give you the group
22618 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
22619 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
22621 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
22622 e.g. @samp{'spam-use-regex-headers} or @samp{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
22625 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
22626 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
22629 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22630 (any "ding" "ding")
22636 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
22637 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
22638 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
22639 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
22640 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
22641 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
22643 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
22644 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
22645 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
22648 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22649 ;;; all spam detected by spam-use-regex-headers goes to "regex-spam"
22650 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
22651 (any "ding" "ding")
22652 ;;; all other spam detected by spam-split goes to spam-split-group
22658 Basically, this lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks
22659 depending on your particular needs, and to target the results of those
22660 checks to a particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail
22661 into all the spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that
22662 messages to mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have
22663 resource-intensive blackhole checks performed on them. You could also
22664 specify different spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap
22667 You still have to have specific checks such as
22668 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you specifically
22669 invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is that when
22670 loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on
22671 what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
22673 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22675 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22676 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22677 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
22678 message headers. If you use @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
22679 @code{spam-check-ifile}, or @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that
22680 can benefit from the full message body), you should set this variable.
22681 It is not set by default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and
22682 that is not an appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user.
22684 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22686 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
22687 into a back end. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
22688 longer spam or ham.}
22690 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
22691 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
22694 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
22695 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
22698 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22699 * BBDB Whitelists::
22700 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
22701 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
22703 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22705 * ifile spam filtering::
22706 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22708 * Extending the spam elisp package::
22711 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
22712 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
22713 @cindex spam filtering
22714 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
22715 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
22718 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
22720 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
22721 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
22722 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
22723 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
22728 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
22730 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
22731 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
22732 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22733 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
22734 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22738 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
22740 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
22741 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22742 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
22746 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
22748 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22749 customizing the group parameters or the
22750 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22751 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22752 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
22756 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
22758 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22759 customizing the group parameters or the
22760 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22761 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22762 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22763 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22764 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22768 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
22769 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
22770 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
22771 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
22772 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
22774 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
22775 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
22776 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
22777 Emacs regular expression syntax.
22779 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
22780 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
22781 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
22782 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
22783 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
22784 @file{blacklist} respectively.
22786 @node BBDB Whitelists
22787 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
22788 @cindex spam filtering
22789 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
22790 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
22793 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
22795 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
22796 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
22797 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
22798 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
22799 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22800 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
22801 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22805 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
22807 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
22808 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22809 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
22810 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
22811 classified as spammers.
22815 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
22817 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22818 customizing the group parameters or the
22819 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22820 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22821 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22822 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22823 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22827 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
22828 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
22829 @cindex spam reporting
22830 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
22831 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
22834 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
22836 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22837 customizing the group parameters or the
22838 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22839 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
22840 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
22843 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
22847 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
22849 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
22850 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
22851 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
22852 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
22853 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
22858 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
22859 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
22860 @cindex spam filtering
22861 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
22864 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
22866 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
22867 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
22868 instead of the sender address. You must have the @code{hashcash.el}
22869 package loaded for @code{spam-use-hashcash} to work properly.
22870 Messages without a hashcash payment token will be sent to the next
22871 spam-split rule. This is an explicit filter, meaning that unless a
22872 hashcash token is found, the messages are not assumed to be spam or
22878 @subsubsection Blackholes
22879 @cindex spam filtering
22880 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
22883 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
22885 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
22886 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
22887 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
22888 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
22889 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
22890 contains outdated servers.
22892 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
22893 @file{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
22894 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
22895 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
22896 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
22897 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
22901 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
22903 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
22907 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
22909 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
22910 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
22914 @defvar spam-use-dig
22916 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
22917 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
22921 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
22922 ham processor for blackholes.
22924 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
22925 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
22926 @cindex spam filtering
22927 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
22930 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
22932 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
22933 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
22934 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
22935 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
22936 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
22937 message is spam or ham, respectively.
22941 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
22943 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22944 the message, positively identify it as spam.
22948 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
22950 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22951 the message, positively identify it as ham.
22955 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
22956 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
22959 @subsubsection Bogofilter
22960 @cindex spam filtering
22961 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
22964 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
22966 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22969 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
22970 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
22971 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
22972 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
22973 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
22974 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
22976 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
22977 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
22980 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
22981 processing will be turned off.
22983 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
22987 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
22989 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22990 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
22991 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
22992 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
22993 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
22994 installation documents for details.
22996 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
23000 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
23001 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23002 customizing the group parameters or the
23003 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23004 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
23005 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
23008 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
23009 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23010 customizing the group parameters or the
23011 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23012 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23013 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
23014 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
23015 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
23018 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
23020 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
23021 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
23022 database directory.
23026 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
23027 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23028 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
23029 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
23030 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
23031 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
23033 @node ifile spam filtering
23034 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
23035 @cindex spam filtering
23036 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
23039 @defvar spam-use-ifile
23041 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
23042 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
23046 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
23048 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
23049 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
23050 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
23054 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
23056 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
23057 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
23058 the default value of @samp{spam}.
23061 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
23063 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
23064 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
23068 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
23069 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23070 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
23071 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
23074 @node spam-stat spam filtering
23075 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
23076 @cindex spam filtering
23077 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
23081 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
23083 @defvar spam-use-stat
23085 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
23086 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
23090 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
23091 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23092 customizing the group parameters or the
23093 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23094 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23095 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
23098 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
23099 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23100 customizing the group parameters or the
23101 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23102 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23103 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
23104 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
23105 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
23108 This enables @file{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
23109 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
23110 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
23111 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
23112 @code{spam-split} are provided.
23115 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
23116 @cindex spam filtering
23120 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
23121 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
23122 installed separately.
23124 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
23125 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
23126 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
23127 mail as a spam mail or not.
23129 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
23130 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
23131 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
23133 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
23134 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
23136 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
23137 To enable SpamOracle usage by @file{spam.el}, set the variable
23138 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
23139 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
23140 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
23141 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
23142 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
23143 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
23147 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
23148 spam-split-group "Junk"
23149 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
23150 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23151 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
23154 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
23155 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
23159 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
23160 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
23161 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
23165 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
23166 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
23167 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
23168 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
23169 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
23170 database to live somewhere special, set
23171 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
23174 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
23175 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
23176 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
23177 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
23178 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
23179 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
23180 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @file{spam.el}'s
23181 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
23182 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
23183 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
23185 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
23186 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23187 customizing the group parameter or the
23188 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23189 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
23190 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
23193 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
23194 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23195 customizing the group parameter or the
23196 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23197 to a grup's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
23198 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
23199 messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam} or
23200 @emph{unclassified} groups.
23203 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of an group that has been
23204 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
23207 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
23209 (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle)))
23211 For this group the @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle} is
23212 installed. If the group contains spam message (e.g. because SpamOracle
23213 has not had enough sample messages yet) and the user marks some
23214 messages as spam messages, these messages will be processed by
23215 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}. This processor sends
23216 the messages to SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
23218 @node Extending the spam elisp package
23219 @subsubsection Extending the spam elisp package
23220 @cindex spam filtering
23221 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
23222 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
23224 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
23225 incoming mail, provide the following:
23233 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
23234 "True if blackbox should be used.")
23239 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
23241 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
23246 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
23247 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
23248 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
23250 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
23251 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
23252 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
23256 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
23263 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
23264 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
23267 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
23268 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
23269 Only applicable to spam groups.")
23271 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
23272 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
23273 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
23281 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
23282 (spam-generic-register-routine
23283 ;; @r{the spam function}
23285 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
23286 (when (stringp from)
23287 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
23288 ;; @r{the ham function}
23291 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
23292 (spam-generic-register-routine
23293 ;; @r{the spam function}
23295 ;; @r{the ham function}
23297 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
23298 (when (stringp from)
23299 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
23302 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
23303 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
23304 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
23305 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
23306 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
23307 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
23312 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23313 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23314 @cindex Paul Graham
23315 @cindex Graham, Paul
23316 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
23317 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
23318 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
23320 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
23321 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
23322 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
23323 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
23324 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
23325 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
23326 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
23327 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
23328 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
23331 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
23332 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
23333 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
23334 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
23335 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
23336 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
23337 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
23338 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
23340 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
23341 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
23342 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
23343 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
23344 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
23347 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
23348 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
23349 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
23352 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23353 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23355 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
23356 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
23357 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
23358 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
23359 need several hundred emails in both collections.
23361 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
23362 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
23363 per mail. Use the following:
23365 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
23366 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
23367 is treated as one spam mail.
23370 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
23371 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
23372 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
23375 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
23376 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
23377 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
23378 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
23379 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
23380 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
23382 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
23383 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
23384 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
23385 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
23386 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
23389 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
23390 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
23391 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
23392 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
23395 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
23396 reset the dictionary.
23398 @defun spam-stat-reset
23399 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
23402 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
23403 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
23404 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
23405 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
23406 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
23407 only non-spam mails.
23409 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
23410 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
23411 to update the dictionary incrementally.
23414 @defun spam-stat-save
23415 Save the dictionary.
23418 @defvar spam-stat-file
23419 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
23420 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
23423 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
23424 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
23426 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
23427 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23430 (require 'spam-stat)
23434 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
23437 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
23438 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
23439 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
23440 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
23442 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
23443 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
23444 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
23445 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
23448 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23449 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23453 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
23454 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
23457 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
23458 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
23459 expression are considered potential spam.
23462 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23463 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23464 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23468 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
23469 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
23470 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
23471 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
23472 mails, when creating the dictionary!
23475 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23476 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23477 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23481 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
23482 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
23483 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
23484 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
23485 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
23489 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23490 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
23491 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23492 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23497 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
23498 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
23500 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
23502 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
23503 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
23504 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
23507 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
23508 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
23509 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
23512 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
23513 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
23514 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
23515 already been processed as non-spam.
23518 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
23519 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
23520 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
23521 been processed as spam.
23524 @defun spam-stat-save
23525 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
23526 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
23529 @defun spam-stat-load
23530 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
23531 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
23534 @defun spam-stat-score-word
23535 Return the spam score for a word.
23538 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
23539 Return the spam score for a buffer.
23542 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
23543 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
23544 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23547 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
23548 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23551 (require 'spam-stat)
23555 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
23558 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
23559 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23560 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23561 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23562 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
23563 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
23564 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23565 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23566 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
23567 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23568 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
23569 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
23570 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23571 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23574 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
23577 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
23578 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23579 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23580 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
23581 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
23582 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
23585 @node Various Various
23586 @section Various Various
23592 @item gnus-home-directory
23593 @vindex gnus-home-directory
23594 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
23595 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
23597 @item gnus-directory
23598 @vindex gnus-directory
23599 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
23600 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
23601 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
23603 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
23604 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
23605 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
23606 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
23608 @item gnus-default-directory
23609 @vindex gnus-default-directory
23610 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
23611 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
23612 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
23613 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
23614 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
23615 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
23618 @vindex gnus-verbose
23619 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
23620 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
23621 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
23622 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
23623 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
23625 @item gnus-verbose-backends
23626 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
23627 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
23628 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
23630 @item nnheader-max-head-length
23631 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
23632 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
23633 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
23634 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
23635 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
23636 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
23637 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
23638 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
23639 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
23641 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
23642 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
23643 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
23644 read when doing the operation described above.
23646 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23647 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23649 @cindex invalid characters in file names
23650 @cindex characters in file names
23651 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
23652 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
23653 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
23657 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23662 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
23663 Windows (phooey) systems.
23665 @item gnus-hidden-properties
23666 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
23667 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
23668 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
23669 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
23671 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
23672 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
23673 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
23674 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
23675 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
23677 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
23678 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
23679 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
23681 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
23682 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
23684 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
23685 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
23686 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
23687 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
23690 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
23698 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
23699 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
23701 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
23703 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
23709 Not because of victories @*
23712 but for the common sunshine,@*
23714 the largess of the spring.
23718 but for the day's work done@*
23719 as well as I was able;@*
23720 not for a seat upon the dais@*
23721 but at the common table.@*
23726 @chapter Appendices
23729 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
23730 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
23731 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
23732 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
23733 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
23734 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
23735 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
23736 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
23737 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
23744 @cindex installing under XEmacs
23746 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
23747 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
23748 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
23749 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
23750 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
23751 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
23758 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
23759 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
23761 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
23762 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
23763 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
23764 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
23765 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
23767 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
23768 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
23769 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
23770 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
23771 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
23772 appropriate name, don't you think?)
23774 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
23775 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
23776 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
23777 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
23780 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
23781 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
23782 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
23783 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
23784 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
23785 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
23786 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
23787 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
23788 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
23792 @node Gnus Versions
23793 @subsection Gnus Versions
23795 @cindex September Gnus
23797 @cindex Quassia Gnus
23798 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
23801 @cindex Gnus versions
23803 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
23804 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
23805 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
23807 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
23808 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
23810 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
23811 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
23813 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
23814 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
23816 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
23817 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
23820 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
23822 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
23823 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
23824 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
23825 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
23826 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
23827 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
23830 @node Other Gnus Versions
23831 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
23834 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
23835 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
23836 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
23837 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
23839 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
23840 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
23841 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
23842 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
23849 What's the point of Gnus?
23851 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
23852 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
23853 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
23854 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
23855 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
23856 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
23857 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
23858 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
23859 keep track of millions of people who post?
23861 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
23862 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
23863 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
23864 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
23865 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
23866 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
23867 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
23868 every one of you to explore and invent.
23870 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
23871 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
23874 @node Compatibility
23875 @subsection Compatibility
23877 @cindex compatibility
23878 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
23879 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
23880 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
23885 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
23889 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
23892 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
23895 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
23896 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
23897 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
23898 important variables have their values copied into their global
23899 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
23900 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
23902 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
23903 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
23904 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
23905 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
23906 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
23910 @cindex highlighting
23911 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
23912 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
23913 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
23914 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
23915 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
23916 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
23919 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
23920 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
23921 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
23922 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
23924 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
23925 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
23926 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
23927 to stop doing it the old way.
23929 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
23931 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
23933 @cindex reporting bugs
23935 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
23936 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
23937 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
23939 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
23940 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
23941 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
23942 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
23947 @subsection Conformity
23949 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
23950 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
23958 There are no known breaches of this standard.
23962 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
23964 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
23965 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
23966 We do have some breaches to this one.
23972 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
23973 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
23974 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
23975 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
23976 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
23981 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
23982 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
23983 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
23984 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
23986 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
23987 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
23988 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
23990 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
23991 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
23993 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
23996 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
23997 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
23998 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
23999 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
24000 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
24003 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
24004 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
24005 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
24006 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
24008 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
24009 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
24011 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
24012 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
24013 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
24014 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
24015 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
24016 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
24017 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
24018 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
24022 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
24023 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
24028 @subsection Emacsen
24034 Gnus should work on:
24042 XEmacs 21.1 and up.
24046 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
24047 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
24050 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
24051 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
24052 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
24056 @node Gnus Development
24057 @subsection Gnus Development
24059 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
24060 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
24061 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
24062 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
24063 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
24064 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
24065 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
24066 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
24068 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
24069 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
24070 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
24071 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
24072 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
24075 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
24076 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
24077 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
24078 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
24079 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
24081 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
24082 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
24083 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
24084 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
24085 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
24086 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
24087 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
24088 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
24089 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
24090 can't be assumed to do so.
24095 @subsection Contributors
24096 @cindex contributors
24098 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
24099 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
24100 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
24101 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
24102 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
24103 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
24104 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
24105 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
24106 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
24107 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
24109 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
24115 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
24118 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
24119 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
24120 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
24121 functionality and stuff.
24124 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
24125 well as numerous other things).
24128 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
24131 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
24134 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
24137 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
24140 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
24141 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
24144 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
24147 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
24148 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
24151 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
24154 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
24157 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
24160 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
24163 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
24164 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
24167 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
24170 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
24173 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
24176 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
24180 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
24183 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
24186 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
24189 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
24190 well as autoconf support.
24194 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
24195 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
24197 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
24212 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
24214 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
24218 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
24228 Alexei V. Barantsev,
24243 Massimo Campostrini,
24248 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
24249 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
24253 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
24256 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
24262 Michael Welsh Duggan,
24267 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
24271 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
24279 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
24281 Michelangelo Grigni,
24285 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
24287 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
24289 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
24296 François Felix Ingrand,
24297 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
24298 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
24300 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
24310 Peter Skov Knudsen,
24311 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
24313 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
24314 Thor Kristoffersen,
24317 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
24335 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
24336 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
24343 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
24348 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
24352 John McClary Prevost,
24358 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
24363 Christian von Roques,
24366 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
24373 Philippe Schnoebelen,
24375 Randal L. Schwartz,
24389 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
24394 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
24414 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
24415 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
24416 (550kB and counting).
24418 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
24421 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
24422 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
24426 @subsection New Features
24427 @cindex new features
24430 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
24431 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
24432 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
24433 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
24434 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
24435 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
24438 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
24439 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
24440 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
24443 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
24445 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
24450 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
24451 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
24454 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
24455 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
24458 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
24461 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
24462 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
24463 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
24466 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
24467 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
24468 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
24469 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
24472 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
24473 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24476 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
24477 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
24478 (@pxref{The Active File}).
24481 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
24482 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
24485 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
24486 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
24487 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24490 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
24491 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
24492 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
24495 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
24496 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
24499 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
24500 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
24503 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
24504 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
24507 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
24508 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24511 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
24512 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
24515 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
24516 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
24519 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
24522 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
24523 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
24526 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
24527 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
24530 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
24531 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
24534 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
24537 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
24538 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
24541 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
24545 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
24549 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
24550 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
24553 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
24559 @node September Gnus
24560 @subsubsection September Gnus
24564 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
24568 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
24573 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
24574 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
24578 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
24579 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
24583 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
24587 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
24588 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
24591 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
24595 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
24598 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
24601 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
24604 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
24608 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
24609 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
24612 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
24616 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
24620 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
24624 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
24628 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
24631 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
24632 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
24635 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
24639 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
24640 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
24643 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
24646 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
24647 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
24648 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
24651 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
24655 The Gnus cache is much faster.
24658 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
24662 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
24663 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24666 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
24667 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
24670 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
24671 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
24674 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
24675 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
24676 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
24679 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
24680 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
24683 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
24686 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
24689 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
24692 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
24695 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
24696 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
24699 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
24703 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
24706 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
24711 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
24714 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
24718 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24721 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
24725 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
24728 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
24731 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
24732 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
24735 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
24736 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
24740 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
24741 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
24744 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
24748 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
24749 buffer to allow easier treatment.
24752 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
24755 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
24759 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
24763 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
24764 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
24767 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
24771 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
24772 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
24775 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
24776 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
24779 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
24783 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
24786 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
24789 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
24795 @subsubsection Red Gnus
24797 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
24801 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
24808 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
24811 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
24812 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
24815 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
24816 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
24820 Article washing status can be displayed in the
24821 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
24824 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
24827 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
24828 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
24831 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
24835 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
24836 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
24840 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
24841 Server Internals}).
24844 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
24848 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
24851 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
24852 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
24855 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
24856 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
24857 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
24860 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
24861 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24864 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
24865 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
24868 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
24872 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
24873 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24876 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
24877 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24880 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
24884 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
24887 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
24891 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
24892 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24895 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
24896 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24899 A new command for reading collections of documents
24900 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
24901 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
24904 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
24908 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
24909 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
24912 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
24913 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
24914 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
24917 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
24918 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
24922 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
24926 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
24930 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
24935 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
24939 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
24943 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
24944 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
24947 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
24953 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
24955 New features in Gnus 5.6:
24960 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
24961 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
24962 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
24965 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
24966 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
24967 group, which is created automatically.
24970 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
24974 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
24977 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
24978 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
24981 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
24985 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
24988 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
24989 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
24992 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
24995 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
24999 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
25000 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
25003 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
25004 control over simplification.
25007 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
25010 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
25014 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
25017 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
25020 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
25021 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
25022 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
25025 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
25026 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
25029 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
25033 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
25034 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
25037 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
25038 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
25041 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
25045 A history of where mails have been split is available.
25048 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
25051 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
25052 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
25055 A new function for citing in Message has been
25056 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
25059 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
25062 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
25066 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
25067 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
25070 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
25071 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
25074 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
25077 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
25081 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
25082 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
25084 New features in Gnus 5.8:
25089 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
25090 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
25092 If you used procmail like in
25095 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
25096 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
25097 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
25098 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
25101 this now has changed to
25105 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
25109 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
25112 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
25113 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
25116 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
25117 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
25120 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
25121 called to position point.
25124 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
25125 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
25128 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
25129 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
25132 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
25133 subtly different manner.
25136 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
25137 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
25138 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
25141 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
25146 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
25149 New features in Gnus 5.10:
25154 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
25155 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
25158 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
25159 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
25162 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
25164 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
25165 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
25166 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
25167 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
25168 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
25169 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
25170 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
25171 isn't save in general.
25176 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
25177 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
25178 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
25179 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
25184 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} installs key bindings in dired buffers to send
25185 a file as an attachment (@kbd{C-c C-a}), open a file using the appropriate
25186 mailcap entry (@kbd{C-c C-l}), and print a file using the mailcap entry
25187 (@kbd{C-c P}). It is enabled with
25189 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
25193 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
25196 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
25201 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
25202 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
25204 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
25205 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
25209 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
25210 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
25213 Retrieval of charters and control messages
25215 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
25216 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
25221 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
25222 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
25223 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
25226 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
25227 decompressed when activated.
25230 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
25231 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
25234 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
25237 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
25238 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
25241 Warn about email replies to news
25243 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
25244 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
25248 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
25249 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
25253 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
25254 opposed to old but unread messages).
25257 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
25258 Gcc articles as read.
25261 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
25264 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
25265 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
25268 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
25269 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
25272 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
25273 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
25276 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
25277 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
25280 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
25282 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
25283 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
25284 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
25285 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
25288 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
25290 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
25291 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
25292 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
25293 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
25294 the second parameter.
25296 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
25297 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
25298 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
25299 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
25300 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
25301 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
25302 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
25303 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
25304 cycle used under Unix systems.
25306 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
25310 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
25312 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
25313 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
25314 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
25315 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
25316 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
25320 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
25322 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
25323 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
25324 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
25325 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
25329 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
25331 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
25332 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
25333 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
25334 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
25336 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
25337 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
25338 message cited below.
25341 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
25344 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
25346 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
25347 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
25348 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
25349 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
25350 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
25353 (setq gnus-parameters
25355 (gnus-show-threads nil)
25356 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
25357 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
25358 (to-group . "\\1"))))
25362 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
25364 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
25368 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
25370 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
25371 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
25372 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
25373 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
25374 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
25375 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
25376 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
25377 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
25378 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
25381 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
25383 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
25384 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
25385 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
25386 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
25387 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
25388 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
25391 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
25392 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
25396 Improved anti-spam features.
25398 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
25399 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
25400 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
25401 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
25402 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
25405 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
25408 Face headers handling.
25411 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
25412 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
25415 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
25418 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
25420 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
25421 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
25422 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
25423 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
25424 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
25425 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
25426 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
25427 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
25428 when getting new mail, remove the function.
25431 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
25433 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
25434 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
25435 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
25436 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
25437 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
25438 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
25439 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
25440 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
25441 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
25442 was inserted directly.
25445 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
25447 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
25448 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
25454 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
25455 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
25456 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
25457 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
25458 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
25459 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
25460 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
25461 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
25462 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
25463 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
25464 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
25465 behaviour of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
25466 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
25467 is not needed any more.
25470 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
25472 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
25473 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
25474 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
25475 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
25476 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
25480 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
25482 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
25483 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
25486 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
25488 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
25489 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
25490 lisp directory into load-path.
25492 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
25493 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
25496 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
25498 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
25501 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
25503 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
25504 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
25505 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
25506 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
25509 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
25511 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
25513 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
25514 'bbdb-complete-name)
25518 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
25520 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
25521 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
25522 local files as external parts.
25524 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
25525 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
25526 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
25527 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
25528 that support editing.
25531 @code{gnus-default-charset}
25533 The default value is determined from the
25534 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
25535 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
25536 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
25539 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
25541 Add a new format of match like
25543 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
25544 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
25546 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
25548 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
25549 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
25553 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
25555 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
25556 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
25557 need add those two headers too.
25560 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
25562 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
25563 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
25564 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
25567 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
25568 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
25569 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
25573 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
25575 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
25578 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
25580 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
25583 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
25585 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
25586 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
25587 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
25590 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
25592 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
25596 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
25598 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
25599 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
25600 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
25601 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
25602 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
25603 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
25604 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
25605 The behaviour can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
25608 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
25610 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
25611 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
25612 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
25613 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
25614 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
25617 Extended format specs.
25619 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
25620 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
25621 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
25622 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
25623 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
25624 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
25627 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
25629 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
25630 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
25631 out other articles.
25633 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
25635 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
25636 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
25637 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
25638 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
25641 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
25643 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
25644 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
25645 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
25648 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
25650 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
25651 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
25652 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
25653 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
25654 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
25655 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
25656 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
25657 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
25658 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
25659 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
25660 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
25663 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
25664 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
25667 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
25668 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
25669 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
25670 message, Message Manual}).
25673 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
25674 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
25676 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
25677 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
25678 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
25680 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
25684 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
25685 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
25687 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
25688 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
25689 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
25690 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
25693 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
25696 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
25699 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
25700 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
25703 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
25705 The behaviour for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
25706 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
25707 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
25708 invalidate the digital signature.
25715 @section The Manual
25719 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
25720 either @code{texi2dvi}
25722 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
25723 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
25725 to get what you hold in your hands now.
25727 The following conventions have been used:
25732 This is a @samp{string}
25735 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
25738 This is a @file{file}
25741 This is a @code{symbol}
25745 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
25749 (setq flargnoze "yes")
25752 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
25755 (setq flumphel 'yes)
25758 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
25759 ever get them confused.
25763 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
25764 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
25765 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
25766 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
25767 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
25768 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
25769 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
25775 @node On Writing Manuals
25776 @section On Writing Manuals
25778 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
25779 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
25780 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
25781 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
25782 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
25783 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
25786 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
25787 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
25788 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
25791 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
25792 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
25797 @section Terminology
25799 @cindex terminology
25804 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
25805 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
25806 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
25807 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
25808 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
25812 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
25813 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
25814 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
25815 not posting, and replying is not following up.
25819 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
25823 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
25828 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
25829 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
25830 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
25831 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
25832 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
25833 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
25834 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
25835 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
25836 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
25839 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
25840 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
25841 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
25842 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
25843 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
25844 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
25846 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
25847 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
25848 access the articles.
25850 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
25851 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
25852 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
25857 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
25858 default, way of getting news.
25862 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
25863 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
25868 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
25869 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
25873 A message that has been posted as news.
25876 @cindex mail message
25877 A message that has been mailed.
25881 A mail message or news article
25885 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
25890 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
25895 A line from the head of an article.
25899 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
25900 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
25902 @item @acronym{NOV}
25903 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
25904 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
25905 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
25906 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
25907 normal @sc{head} format.
25911 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
25912 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
25913 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
25914 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
25915 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
25916 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
25918 @item killed groups
25919 @cindex killed groups
25920 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
25921 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
25923 @item zombie groups
25924 @cindex zombie groups
25925 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
25928 @cindex active file
25929 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
25930 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
25931 is rather large, as you might surmise.
25934 @cindex bogus groups
25935 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
25936 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
25937 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
25940 @cindex activating groups
25941 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
25942 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
25943 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
25947 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
25949 @item select method
25950 @cindex select method
25951 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
25954 @item virtual server
25955 @cindex virtual server
25956 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
25957 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
25958 whole is a virtual server.
25962 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
25963 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
25966 @item ephemeral groups
25967 @cindex ephemeral groups
25968 @cindex temporary groups
25969 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
25970 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
25971 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
25974 @cindex solid groups
25975 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
25976 group buffer are solid groups.
25978 @item sparse articles
25979 @cindex sparse articles
25980 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
25981 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
25985 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
25986 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
25990 @cindex thread root
25991 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
25992 articles in the thread.
25996 An article that has responses.
26000 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
26004 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
26005 specified by RFC 1153.
26008 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
26009 @cindex mail sorting
26010 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
26011 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
26012 incorrectly called mail filtering.
26018 @node Customization
26019 @section Customization
26020 @cindex general customization
26022 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
26023 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
26024 for some quite common situations.
26027 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
26028 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
26029 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
26030 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
26034 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
26035 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
26037 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
26038 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
26039 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
26043 @item gnus-read-active-file
26044 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
26045 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
26046 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26047 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
26048 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
26050 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
26051 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
26052 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
26053 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
26057 @node Slow Terminal Connection
26058 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
26060 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
26061 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
26062 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
26066 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
26067 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
26068 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
26069 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
26070 horizontal and vertical recentering.
26072 @item gnus-visible-headers
26073 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
26074 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
26075 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
26076 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
26078 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
26080 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
26081 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
26082 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
26085 @item gnus-use-full-window
26086 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
26087 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
26088 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
26089 want to read them anyway.
26091 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
26092 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
26096 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
26097 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
26098 lines, which might save some time.
26102 @node Little Disk Space
26103 @subsection Little Disk Space
26106 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
26107 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
26111 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
26112 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
26113 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26114 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26117 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
26118 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
26119 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26120 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26123 @item gnus-save-killed-list
26124 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
26125 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
26126 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
26127 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
26133 @subsection Slow Machine
26134 @cindex slow machine
26136 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
26137 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
26139 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26140 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
26142 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
26143 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
26144 summary buffer faster.
26148 @node Troubleshooting
26149 @section Troubleshooting
26150 @cindex troubleshooting
26152 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
26160 Make sure your computer is switched on.
26163 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
26164 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
26168 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
26169 like @samp{Gnus v5.10.3} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise
26170 you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
26173 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
26174 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
26177 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
26178 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
26179 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
26180 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
26181 something like that.
26184 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
26187 @cindex reporting bugs
26189 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26191 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
26192 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
26193 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
26194 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
26196 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
26197 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
26198 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
26199 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
26202 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
26203 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
26204 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
26205 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
26206 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
26207 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
26209 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
26210 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
26211 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
26215 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
26216 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
26219 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
26220 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
26221 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
26222 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
26223 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
26224 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
26225 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
26226 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
26227 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
26228 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
26229 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
26230 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
26231 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
26232 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
26237 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
26238 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
26239 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
26240 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
26241 helps isolating the real problem areas).
26243 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
26244 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
26245 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
26246 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
26247 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
26248 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
26249 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
26250 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
26251 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
26252 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
26253 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
26254 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
26255 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
26258 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
26259 @cindex ding mailing list
26260 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
26261 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
26262 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
26263 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
26267 @node Gnus Reference Guide
26268 @section Gnus Reference Guide
26270 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
26271 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
26272 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
26273 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
26276 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
26277 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
26278 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
26279 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
26280 and general methods of operation.
26283 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
26284 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
26285 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
26286 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
26287 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
26288 * Group Info:: The group info format.
26289 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
26290 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
26291 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
26295 @node Gnus Utility Functions
26296 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
26297 @cindex Gnus utility functions
26298 @cindex utility functions
26300 @cindex internal variables
26302 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
26303 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
26304 Below is a list of the most common ones.
26308 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
26309 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
26310 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
26312 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
26313 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
26314 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
26316 @item gnus-group-real-name
26317 @findex gnus-group-real-name
26318 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
26321 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
26322 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
26323 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
26324 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
26326 @item gnus-get-info
26327 @findex gnus-get-info
26328 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
26330 @item gnus-group-unread
26331 @findex gnus-group-unread
26332 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
26336 @findex gnus-active
26337 The active entry for @var{group}.
26339 @item gnus-set-active
26340 @findex gnus-set-active
26341 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
26343 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
26344 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
26345 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
26348 @item gnus-continuum-version
26349 @findex gnus-continuum-version
26350 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
26351 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
26354 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
26355 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
26356 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
26358 @item gnus-news-group-p
26359 @findex gnus-news-group-p
26360 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
26362 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
26363 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
26364 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
26366 @item gnus-server-to-method
26367 @findex gnus-server-to-method
26368 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
26370 @item gnus-server-equal
26371 @findex gnus-server-equal
26372 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
26374 @item gnus-group-native-p
26375 @findex gnus-group-native-p
26376 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
26378 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
26379 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
26380 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
26382 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
26383 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
26384 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
26386 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
26387 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
26388 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
26389 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
26391 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
26392 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
26393 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
26395 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
26396 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
26397 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
26399 @item gnus-check-backend-function
26400 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
26401 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
26402 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
26405 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
26409 @item gnus-read-method
26410 @findex gnus-read-method
26411 Prompts the user for a select method.
26416 @node Back End Interface
26417 @subsection Back End Interface
26419 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
26420 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
26421 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
26422 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
26423 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
26424 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
26426 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
26427 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
26428 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
26429 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
26430 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
26431 been opened, the function should fail.
26433 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
26434 name. Take this example:
26438 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
26439 (nntp-port-number 4324))
26442 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
26443 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
26445 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
26446 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
26447 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
26449 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
26450 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
26451 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
26453 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
26454 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
26455 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
26456 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
26457 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
26458 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
26461 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
26462 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
26463 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
26464 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
26467 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
26468 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
26469 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
26470 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
26471 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
26472 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
26473 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
26474 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
26475 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
26476 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
26478 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
26479 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
26480 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
26481 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
26482 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
26483 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
26484 of numbers as long as possible.
26486 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
26487 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
26488 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
26490 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
26493 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
26496 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
26497 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
26498 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
26499 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
26500 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
26501 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
26505 @node Required Back End Functions
26506 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
26510 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
26512 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
26513 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
26514 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
26515 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
26517 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
26518 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
26519 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
26520 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
26522 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
26523 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
26524 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
26525 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
26526 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
26527 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
26528 number, do maximum fetches.
26530 Here's an example HEAD:
26533 221 1056 Article retrieved.
26534 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
26535 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
26536 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
26537 Subject: Re: Something very droll
26538 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
26539 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
26541 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
26542 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
26543 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
26547 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
26548 these in the data buffer.
26550 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
26554 head = error / valid-head
26555 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
26556 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
26557 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
26558 header = <text> eol
26562 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
26564 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
26565 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
26569 nov-buffer = *nov-line
26570 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
26571 field = <text except TAB>
26574 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
26578 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
26580 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
26581 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
26583 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
26584 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
26585 server. In fact, it should do so.
26587 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
26588 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
26591 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
26593 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
26594 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
26597 There should be no data returned.
26600 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
26602 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
26603 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
26604 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
26605 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
26607 There should be no data returned.
26610 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
26612 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
26613 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
26614 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
26615 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
26617 There should be no data returned.
26620 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
26622 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
26624 There should be no data returned.
26627 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
26629 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
26630 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
26631 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
26632 it would be nice if that were possible.
26634 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
26635 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
26636 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
26637 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
26638 into its article buffer.
26640 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
26641 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
26642 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
26643 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
26644 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
26645 on successful article retrieval.
26648 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
26650 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
26651 making @var{group} the current group.
26653 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
26656 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
26659 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
26662 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
26663 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
26664 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
26665 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
26666 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
26667 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
26668 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
26669 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
26670 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
26674 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
26675 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
26676 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
26680 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
26682 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
26683 a no-op on most back ends.
26685 There should be no data returned.
26688 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
26690 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
26693 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
26696 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
26697 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
26700 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
26701 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
26702 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
26703 and the highest as 0.
26706 active-file = *active-line
26707 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
26709 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
26712 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
26713 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
26714 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
26717 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
26719 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
26720 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
26721 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
26722 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
26723 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
26724 clear if the posting could not be completed.
26726 There should be no result data from this function.
26731 @node Optional Back End Functions
26732 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
26736 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
26738 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
26739 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
26740 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
26742 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
26743 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
26744 former is in the same format as the data from
26745 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
26746 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
26749 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
26753 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
26755 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
26756 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
26757 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
26758 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
26759 should return a non-@code{nil} value.
26761 There should be no result data from this function.
26764 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
26766 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
26767 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
26768 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
26769 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
26770 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
26771 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
26772 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
26773 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
26775 There should be no result data from this function.
26778 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
26780 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
26781 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
26782 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
26783 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
26784 propagate the mark information to the server.
26786 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
26789 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
26792 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
26793 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
26794 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
26795 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
26796 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
26797 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
26798 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
26799 possible, not limit itself to these.
26801 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
26802 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
26803 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
26804 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
26806 An example action list:
26809 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
26810 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
26811 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
26814 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
26815 mark on (currently not used for anything).
26817 There should be no result data from this function.
26819 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
26821 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
26822 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
26823 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
26824 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
26825 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
26827 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
26828 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
26829 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
26832 There should be no result data from this function.
26835 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
26837 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
26838 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
26839 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
26840 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
26841 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
26842 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
26843 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
26844 local if that's practical.
26846 There should be no result data from this function.
26849 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
26851 The result data from this function should be a description of
26855 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
26857 description = <text>
26860 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
26862 The result data from this function should be the description of all
26863 groups available on the server.
26866 description-buffer = *description-line
26870 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
26872 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
26873 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
26874 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
26875 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
26876 in the active buffer format.
26878 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
26879 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
26880 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
26881 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
26882 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
26883 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
26884 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
26887 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
26889 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
26891 There should be no return data.
26894 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
26896 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
26897 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
26898 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
26899 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
26900 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
26903 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
26906 There should be no result data returned.
26909 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
26911 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
26912 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
26914 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
26915 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
26916 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
26917 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
26918 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
26919 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
26921 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
26922 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
26925 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
26926 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
26928 There should be no data returned.
26931 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
26933 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
26934 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
26935 this function in short order.
26937 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
26938 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
26940 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
26941 article for that group.
26943 There should be no data returned.
26946 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
26948 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
26949 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
26951 There should be no data returned.
26954 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
26956 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
26957 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
26958 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
26960 There should be no data returned.
26963 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
26965 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
26966 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
26968 There should be no data returned.
26973 @node Error Messaging
26974 @subsubsection Error Messaging
26976 @findex nnheader-report
26977 @findex nnheader-get-report
26978 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
26979 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
26980 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
26981 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
26982 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
26983 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
26986 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
26988 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
26991 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
26992 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
26993 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
26994 takes one argument---the server symbol.
26996 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
26997 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
26998 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
27001 @node Writing New Back Ends
27002 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
27004 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
27005 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
27006 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
27007 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
27008 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
27011 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
27012 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
27013 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
27015 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
27016 package called @code{nnoo}.
27018 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
27019 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
27025 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
27026 parameters. For instance:
27029 (nnoo-declare nndir
27033 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
27034 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
27037 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
27038 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
27039 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
27041 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
27042 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
27043 a function in those back ends.
27046 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27047 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27048 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27051 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
27052 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
27053 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
27055 @item nnoo-define-basics
27056 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
27060 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27064 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
27065 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
27066 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
27068 @item nnoo-map-functions
27069 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
27070 functions from the parent back ends.
27073 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27074 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27075 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
27078 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
27079 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
27080 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
27081 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
27084 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
27085 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
27086 haven't already been defined.
27092 nnmh-request-newgroups)
27096 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
27097 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
27098 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
27103 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
27106 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
27107 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
27111 (require 'nnheader)
27115 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
27117 (nnoo-declare nndir
27120 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27121 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27122 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27124 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
27125 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
27128 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
27130 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
27131 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
27132 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
27134 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
27135 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
27137 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
27139 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27141 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
27142 (setq nndir-directory
27143 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
27145 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
27146 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
27147 (push `(nndir-current-group
27148 ,(file-name-nondirectory
27149 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27151 (push `(nndir-top-directory
27152 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27154 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
27156 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27157 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27158 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27159 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
27160 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
27164 nnmh-status-message
27166 nnmh-request-newgroups))
27172 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27173 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27175 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
27176 @findex gnus-declare-backend
27177 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
27178 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
27179 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
27181 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
27182 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
27187 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
27190 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
27192 The abilities can be:
27196 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
27198 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
27200 This back end supports both mail and news.
27202 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
27205 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
27206 articles and groups.
27208 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
27209 true for almost all back ends.
27210 @item prompt-address
27211 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
27212 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
27213 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
27217 @node Mail-like Back Ends
27218 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
27220 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
27221 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
27222 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
27223 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
27226 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
27227 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
27228 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
27231 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
27232 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
27235 This function takes four parameters.
27239 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
27242 @item exit-function
27243 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
27245 @item temp-directory
27246 Where the temporary files should be stored.
27249 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
27250 performed for one group only.
27253 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
27254 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
27255 find the article number assigned to this article.
27257 The function also uses the following variables:
27258 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
27259 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
27260 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
27261 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
27265 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
27266 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
27270 @node Score File Syntax
27271 @subsection Score File Syntax
27273 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
27274 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
27275 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
27277 Here's a typical score file:
27281 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
27288 BNF definition of a score file:
27291 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
27292 element = rule / atom
27293 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
27294 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
27295 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
27296 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
27298 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
27299 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
27300 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
27301 date-header = "date"
27302 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27303 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27304 score = "nil" / <integer>
27305 date = "nil" / <natural number>
27306 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
27307 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
27308 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
27309 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
27310 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27311 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27312 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
27313 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27314 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
27315 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
27316 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
27317 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
27318 exclude-files / read-only / touched
27319 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
27320 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
27321 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
27322 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
27323 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
27324 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
27325 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
27326 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
27327 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
27328 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
27329 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
27330 eval = "eval" space <form>
27331 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
27334 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
27337 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
27338 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
27339 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
27340 one looong line, then that's ok.
27342 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
27343 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27347 @subsection Headers
27349 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
27350 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
27351 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
27352 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
27354 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
27355 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
27356 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
27357 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
27358 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
27359 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
27360 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
27362 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
27363 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
27364 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
27365 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
27366 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
27368 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
27369 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
27375 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
27376 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
27378 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
27379 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
27380 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
27381 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
27383 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
27387 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
27390 is transformed into
27393 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
27396 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
27397 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
27400 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
27403 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
27404 is slightly tricky:
27407 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
27413 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
27416 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
27422 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
27429 and is equal to the previous range.
27431 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
27432 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
27433 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
27437 range = simple-range / normal-range
27438 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
27439 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
27440 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
27441 number *[ " " contents ]
27444 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
27445 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
27446 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
27447 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
27448 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
27453 @subsection Group Info
27455 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
27456 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
27457 describes the group.
27459 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
27460 second is a more complex one:
27463 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
27465 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
27466 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
27468 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
27471 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
27472 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
27473 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
27474 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
27475 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
27476 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
27477 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
27478 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
27479 this section is about.
27481 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
27482 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
27483 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
27485 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
27488 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
27489 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
27490 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27491 group = quote <string> quote
27492 ralevel = rank / level
27493 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
27494 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
27495 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
27497 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
27498 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
27499 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
27500 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
27503 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
27504 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
27507 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
27508 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
27511 @item gnus-info-group
27512 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
27513 @findex gnus-info-group
27514 @findex gnus-info-set-group
27515 Get/set the group name.
27517 @item gnus-info-rank
27518 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
27519 @findex gnus-info-rank
27520 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
27521 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
27523 @item gnus-info-level
27524 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
27525 @findex gnus-info-level
27526 @findex gnus-info-set-level
27527 Get/set the group level.
27529 @item gnus-info-score
27530 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
27531 @findex gnus-info-score
27532 @findex gnus-info-set-score
27533 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
27535 @item gnus-info-read
27536 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
27537 @findex gnus-info-read
27538 @findex gnus-info-set-read
27539 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
27541 @item gnus-info-marks
27542 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
27543 @findex gnus-info-marks
27544 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
27545 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
27547 @item gnus-info-method
27548 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
27549 @findex gnus-info-method
27550 @findex gnus-info-set-method
27551 Get/set the group select method.
27553 @item gnus-info-params
27554 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
27555 @findex gnus-info-params
27556 @findex gnus-info-set-params
27557 Get/set the group parameters.
27560 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
27561 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
27563 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
27564 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
27565 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
27566 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
27569 @node Extended Interactive
27570 @subsection Extended Interactive
27571 @cindex interactive
27572 @findex gnus-interactive
27574 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
27575 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
27576 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
27579 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
27580 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
27585 The best thing to do would have been to implement
27586 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
27587 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
27588 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
27589 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
27590 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
27591 @code{interactive}.
27593 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
27598 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
27599 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
27603 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
27604 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
27605 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
27608 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
27612 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
27616 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
27622 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
27623 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
27627 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
27628 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
27629 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
27631 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
27632 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
27633 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
27634 Gnus, that's very useful.
27636 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
27637 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
27638 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
27639 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
27640 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
27641 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
27642 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
27643 following function:
27646 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
27650 (,function ,@@args))
27654 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
27655 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
27656 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
27659 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
27660 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
27661 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
27663 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
27664 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
27665 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
27668 @node Various File Formats
27669 @subsection Various File Formats
27672 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
27673 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
27677 @node Active File Format
27678 @subsubsection Active File Format
27680 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
27681 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
27684 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
27687 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
27688 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
27689 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
27690 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
27691 no.general 1000 900 y
27694 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
27697 active = *group-line
27698 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
27699 group = <non-white-space string>
27701 high-number = <non-negative integer>
27702 low-number = <positive integer>
27703 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
27706 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
27707 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
27710 @node Newsgroups File Format
27711 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
27713 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
27714 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
27715 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
27718 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
27719 Here's the definition:
27723 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
27724 group = <non-white-space string>
27726 description = <string>
27731 @node Emacs for Heathens
27732 @section Emacs for Heathens
27734 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
27735 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
27736 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
27737 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
27738 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
27739 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
27740 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
27744 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
27745 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
27750 @subsection Keystrokes
27754 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
27757 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
27760 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
27761 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
27762 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
27763 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
27764 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
27765 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
27767 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
27768 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
27769 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
27770 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
27771 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
27772 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
27773 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
27775 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
27776 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
27777 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
27778 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
27779 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
27780 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
27781 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
27783 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
27784 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
27785 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
27786 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
27787 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
27793 @subsection Emacs Lisp
27795 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
27796 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
27797 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
27798 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
27800 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
27801 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
27802 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
27803 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
27804 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
27805 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
27806 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
27809 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
27810 write the following:
27813 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
27816 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
27817 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
27818 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
27821 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
27822 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
27823 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
27824 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
27825 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
27827 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
27828 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
27829 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
27833 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
27837 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
27840 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
27841 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
27844 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
27847 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
27848 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
27851 @include gnus-faq.texi
27871 @c Local Variables:
27873 @c coding: iso-8859-1