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308 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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325 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
335 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
337 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
345 @top The Gnus Newsreader
349 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
350 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
351 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
354 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
355 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
370 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
371 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
373 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
374 being accused of plagiarism:
376 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
377 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
378 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
379 can even read news with it!
381 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
382 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
383 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
384 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
385 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
388 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
389 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
391 @heading Other related manuals
393 @item Message manual: Composing messages
394 @item Emacs-MIME: Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
395 @item Sieve: Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
396 @item PGG: @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
397 @item SASL: @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
403 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
404 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
405 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
406 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
407 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
408 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
409 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
410 * Various:: General purpose settings.
411 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
412 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
413 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
414 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
415 * Key Index:: Key Index.
417 Other related manuals
419 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
420 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
421 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
422 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
423 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
426 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
430 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
431 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
432 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
433 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
434 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
435 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
436 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
437 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
438 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
439 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
440 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
444 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
445 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
446 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
450 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
451 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
452 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
453 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
454 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
455 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
456 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
457 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
458 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
459 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
460 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
461 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
462 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
463 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
464 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
465 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
466 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
467 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
471 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
472 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
473 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
477 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
478 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
479 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
480 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
481 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
485 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
486 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
487 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
488 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
489 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
493 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
494 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
495 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
496 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
497 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
498 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
499 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
500 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
501 * Threading:: How threads are made.
502 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
503 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
504 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
505 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
506 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
507 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
508 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
509 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
510 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
511 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
512 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
513 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
514 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
515 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
516 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
517 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
518 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
519 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
520 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
521 or reselecting the current group.
522 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
523 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
524 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
525 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
527 Summary Buffer Format
529 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
530 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
531 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
532 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
536 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
537 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
539 Reply, Followup and Post
541 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
542 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
543 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
544 * Canceling and Superseding::
548 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
549 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
550 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
551 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
552 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
553 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
557 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
558 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
560 Customizing Threading
562 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
563 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
564 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
565 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
569 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
570 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
571 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
572 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
573 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
574 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
578 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
579 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
580 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
584 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
585 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
586 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
587 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
588 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
589 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
590 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
591 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
592 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys, Gravatars
593 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
594 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
596 Alternative Approaches
598 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
599 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
601 Various Summary Stuff
603 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
604 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
605 * Summary Generation Commands::
606 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
610 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
611 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
612 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
613 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
614 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
618 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
619 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
620 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
621 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
622 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
623 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
624 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
625 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
626 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
630 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
631 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
632 * Using @acronym{IMAP}:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
633 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
634 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
635 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
636 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
637 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
638 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
642 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
643 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
644 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
645 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
646 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
647 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
648 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
652 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
653 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
657 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
658 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
659 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
660 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
664 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
665 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
666 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
667 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
668 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
669 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
670 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
671 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
672 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
673 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
674 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
675 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
676 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
680 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
681 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
682 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
684 Choosing a Mail Back End
686 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
687 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
688 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
689 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
690 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
691 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
692 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
697 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
698 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
699 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
703 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
704 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
705 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
706 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
710 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
714 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
718 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
719 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
720 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
724 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
725 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
726 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
728 The Gnus Diary Library
730 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
731 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
732 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
733 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
737 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
738 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
739 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
740 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
741 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
742 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
743 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
744 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
745 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
746 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
747 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
748 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
749 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
750 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
754 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
755 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
756 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
760 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
761 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
762 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
766 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
767 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
768 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
769 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
770 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
771 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
772 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
773 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
774 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
775 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
776 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
777 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
778 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
779 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
780 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
781 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
785 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
786 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
787 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
791 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
792 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
793 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
794 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
795 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
796 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
797 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
798 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
799 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
800 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
801 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
802 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
803 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
804 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
805 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
806 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
807 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
808 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
809 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
810 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
811 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
815 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
816 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
817 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
818 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
819 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
820 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
821 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
822 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
826 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
827 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
828 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
830 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
831 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
835 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
836 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
837 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
838 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
842 * Spam Package Introduction::
843 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
844 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
845 * Spam and Ham Processors::
846 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
848 * Extending the Spam package::
849 * Spam Statistics Package::
851 Spam Statistics Package
853 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
854 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
855 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
859 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
860 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
861 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
862 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
863 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
864 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
865 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
866 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
867 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
871 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
872 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
873 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
874 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
875 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
876 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
877 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
878 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
879 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
883 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
884 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
885 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
886 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
887 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
888 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
889 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
893 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
894 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
895 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
896 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
900 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
901 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
902 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
903 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
904 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
905 * Group Info:: The group info format.
906 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
907 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
908 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
912 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
913 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
914 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
915 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
916 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
917 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
921 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
922 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
926 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
927 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
933 @chapter Starting Gnus
936 If you haven't used Emacs much before using Gnus, read @ref{Emacs for
941 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
942 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
943 your Emacs. If not, you should customize the variable
944 @code{gnus-select-method} as described in @ref{Finding the News}. For a
945 minimal setup for posting should also customize the variables
946 @code{user-full-name} and @code{user-mail-address}.
948 @findex gnus-other-frame
949 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
950 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
951 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
953 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
954 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
955 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
957 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
958 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
961 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
962 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
963 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
964 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
965 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
966 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
967 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
968 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
969 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
970 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
974 @node Finding the News
975 @section Finding the News
978 First of all, you should know that there is a special buffer called
979 @code{*Server*} that lists all the servers Gnus knows about. You can
980 press @kbd{^} from the Group buffer to see it. In the Server buffer,
981 you can press @kbd{RET} on a defined server to see all the groups it
982 serves (subscribed or not!). You can also add or delete servers, edit
983 a foreign server's definition, agentize or de-agentize a server, and
984 do many other neat things. @xref{Server Buffer}.
985 @xref{Foreign Groups}. @xref{Agent Basics}.
987 @vindex gnus-select-method
989 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
990 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
991 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
992 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
995 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
996 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
999 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1002 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1005 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1008 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1009 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1010 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1011 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1013 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1015 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1016 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1017 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1018 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1019 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1020 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1021 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1023 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1024 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1025 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1026 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1028 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1029 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1030 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1031 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1032 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1033 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1034 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1035 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1036 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1039 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1041 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1042 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1043 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1044 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1045 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1046 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1048 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1050 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1051 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1052 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1053 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1054 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1055 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1058 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1059 you would typically set this variable to
1062 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1065 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1066 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1067 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1068 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1071 @node The First Time
1072 @section The First Time
1073 @cindex first time usage
1075 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
1076 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1078 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1079 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1080 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1081 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1084 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1085 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1086 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1088 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1089 help you with most common problems.
1091 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1092 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1096 @node The Server is Down
1097 @section The Server is Down
1098 @cindex server errors
1100 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1101 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1102 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1104 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1105 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1106 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1107 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1108 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1109 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1110 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1112 @findex gnus-no-server
1113 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1115 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1116 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1117 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1118 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1119 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1120 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1121 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1125 @section Slave Gnusae
1128 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1129 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1130 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1131 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1133 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1134 @file{.newsrc} file.
1136 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1137 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1138 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1139 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1140 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1141 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1142 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1145 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1146 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1147 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1148 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1149 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1150 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1151 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1152 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1154 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1155 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1157 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1158 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1159 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1160 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1161 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1168 @cindex subscription
1170 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1171 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1172 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1173 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1174 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1175 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1176 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1177 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1178 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1181 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1182 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1183 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1187 @node Checking New Groups
1188 @subsection Checking New Groups
1190 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1191 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1192 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1193 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1194 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1195 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1196 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1197 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1198 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1199 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1201 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1202 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1203 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1204 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1205 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1206 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1207 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1208 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1209 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1210 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1211 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1213 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1214 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1215 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1216 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1217 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1218 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1221 @node Subscription Methods
1222 @subsection Subscription Methods
1224 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1225 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1226 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1228 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1229 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1231 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1235 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1236 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1237 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1238 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1239 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1241 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1242 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1243 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1244 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1246 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1247 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1248 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1250 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1252 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1253 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1254 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1255 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1256 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1257 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1258 up. Or something like that.
1260 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1261 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1262 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1263 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1264 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1266 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1267 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1268 Kill all new groups.
1270 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1271 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1272 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1273 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1274 topic parameter that looks like
1280 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1283 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1288 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1289 A closely related variable is
1290 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1291 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1292 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1293 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1296 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1297 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1298 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1299 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1302 @node Filtering New Groups
1303 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1305 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1306 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1307 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1310 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1313 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1314 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1315 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1316 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1317 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1318 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1319 subscribing these groups.
1320 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1321 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1323 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1324 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1325 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1326 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1327 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1328 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1329 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1330 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1332 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1333 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1334 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1335 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1336 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1337 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1338 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1339 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1340 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1341 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1344 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1345 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1348 @node Changing Servers
1349 @section Changing Servers
1350 @cindex changing servers
1352 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1353 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1354 very flaky and you want to use another.
1356 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1357 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1361 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1362 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1363 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1364 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1367 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1368 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1369 You can use the @kbd{M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups}
1370 command to clear out all data that you have on your native groups.
1373 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1374 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1375 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1376 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1378 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1379 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1380 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1381 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1382 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1383 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1384 cache for all groups).
1388 @section Startup Files
1389 @cindex startup files
1394 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1395 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1396 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1399 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1400 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1401 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1402 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1403 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1404 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1405 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1407 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1408 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1409 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1410 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1411 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1412 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1414 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1415 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1416 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1417 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1418 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1419 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1420 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1421 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1422 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1423 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1424 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1427 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1428 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1429 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1430 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1431 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1432 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1433 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1434 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1435 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1436 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1437 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1438 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1440 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1441 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1442 @vindex version-control
1443 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1444 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1445 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1446 If you want version control for this file, set
1447 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1448 @code{version-control} variable.
1450 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1451 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1452 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1453 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1454 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1455 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1456 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1457 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1458 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1459 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1462 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1463 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1465 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1466 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1469 @vindex gnus-init-file
1470 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1471 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1472 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1473 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1474 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1475 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1476 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1477 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1478 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1479 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1480 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1481 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1482 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1487 @cindex dribble file
1490 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1491 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1492 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1493 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1494 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1497 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1498 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1501 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1502 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1503 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1505 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1506 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1507 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1508 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1509 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1510 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1512 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1513 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1514 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1517 @node The Active File
1518 @section The Active File
1520 @cindex ignored groups
1522 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1523 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1524 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1526 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1527 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1528 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1529 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1530 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1531 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1532 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1535 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1536 @c if you set it to anything else.
1538 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1540 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1541 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1542 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1544 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1545 you actually subscribe to.
1547 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1548 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1549 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1550 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1552 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1553 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1554 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1555 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1556 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1557 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1559 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1560 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1561 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1564 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1565 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1566 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1567 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1568 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1569 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1571 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1572 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1574 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1575 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1577 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1578 secondary select methods.
1581 @node Startup Variables
1582 @section Startup Variables
1586 @item gnus-load-hook
1587 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1588 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1589 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1590 times you start Gnus.
1592 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1593 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1594 A hook called as the first thing when Gnus is started.
1596 @item gnus-startup-hook
1597 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1598 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1600 @item gnus-started-hook
1601 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1602 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1605 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1606 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1607 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1608 generating the group buffer.
1610 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1611 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1612 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1613 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1614 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1615 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1616 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1617 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1619 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1620 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1621 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1622 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1623 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1624 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1626 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1627 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1628 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1630 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1631 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1632 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1634 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1635 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1636 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1637 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1639 @item gnus-use-backend-marks
1640 @vindex gnus-use-backend-marks
1641 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will store article marks both in the
1642 @file{.newsrc.eld} file and in the backends. This will slow down
1643 group operation some.
1649 @chapter Group Buffer
1650 @cindex group buffer
1652 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1654 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1655 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1656 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1657 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1658 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1659 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1660 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1661 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1662 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1663 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1664 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1665 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1666 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1667 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1668 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1669 @c human rights at 9...
1672 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1673 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1674 long as Gnus is active.
1678 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1679 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1680 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1681 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1682 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1683 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1684 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1685 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1691 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1692 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1693 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1694 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1695 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1696 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1697 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1698 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1699 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1700 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1701 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1702 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1703 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1704 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1705 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1706 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1707 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
1708 * Searching:: Mail search engines.
1709 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1713 @node Group Buffer Format
1714 @section Group Buffer Format
1717 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1718 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1719 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1722 You can customize the Group Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
1723 customize-apropos RET gnus-group-tool-bar}. This feature is only
1726 The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly depending on the
1727 cursor position. Therefore, moving around in the Group Buffer is
1728 slower. You can disable this via the variable
1729 @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}. Its default value depends on your
1732 @node Group Line Specification
1733 @subsection Group Line Specification
1734 @cindex group buffer format
1736 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1737 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1739 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1742 25: news.announce.newusers
1743 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1748 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1749 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1750 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1751 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1753 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1754 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1755 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1756 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1757 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1758 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1760 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1762 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1763 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1764 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1765 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1766 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1768 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1769 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1770 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1772 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1777 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1780 Whether the group is subscribed.
1783 Level of subscribedness.
1786 Number of unread articles.
1789 Number of dormant articles.
1792 Number of ticked articles.
1795 Number of read articles.
1798 Number of unseen articles.
1801 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1802 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1804 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1805 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1806 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1807 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1808 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1809 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1810 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job.
1812 The nnml backend (@pxref{Mail Spool}) has a feature called ``group
1813 compaction'' which circumvents this deficiency: the idea is to
1814 renumber all articles from 1, removing all gaps between numbers, hence
1815 getting a correct total count. Other backends may support this in the
1816 future. In order to keep your total article count relatively up to
1817 date, you might want to compact your groups (or even directly your
1818 server) from time to time. @xref{Misc Group Stuff}, @xref{Server Commands}.
1821 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1824 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1833 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1834 comment element in the group parameters.
1837 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1838 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1839 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1843 @samp{m} if moderated.
1846 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1852 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1858 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1862 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1865 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1866 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1867 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1868 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1869 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1872 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1874 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1878 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1881 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1885 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1886 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1887 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1888 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1891 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1892 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1893 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1894 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1895 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1896 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1901 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1902 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1903 group, or a bogus native group.
1906 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1907 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1908 @cindex group mode line
1910 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1911 The mode line can be changed by setting
1912 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1913 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1917 The native news server.
1919 The native select method.
1923 @node Group Highlighting
1924 @subsection Group Highlighting
1925 @cindex highlighting
1926 @cindex group highlighting
1928 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1929 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1930 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1931 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1932 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1934 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1938 (cond (window-system
1939 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1940 (defface my-group-face-1
1941 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1942 (defface my-group-face-2
1943 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1944 "Second group face")
1945 (defface my-group-face-3
1946 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1947 (defface my-group-face-4
1948 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1949 (defface my-group-face-5
1950 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1952 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1953 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1954 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1955 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1956 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1957 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1960 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1962 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1969 The number of unread articles in the group.
1973 Whether the group is a mail group.
1975 The level of the group.
1977 The score of the group.
1979 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1981 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1982 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1984 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1985 topic being inserted.
1988 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1989 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1990 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1992 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1993 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1994 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1995 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
1998 @node Group Maneuvering
1999 @section Group Maneuvering
2000 @cindex group movement
2002 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2003 expected, hopefully.
2009 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2010 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2011 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2017 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2018 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2019 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2023 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2024 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2028 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2029 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2033 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2034 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2035 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2039 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2040 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2041 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2044 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2050 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2051 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2052 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2057 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2058 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2059 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2063 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2064 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2065 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2068 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2069 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2070 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2071 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2074 @vindex gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit
2075 If @code{gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit} is @code{t}, when a summary is
2076 exited, the point in the group buffer is moved to the next unread group.
2077 Otherwise, the point is set to the group just exited. The default is
2080 @node Selecting a Group
2081 @section Selecting a Group
2082 @cindex group selection
2087 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2088 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2089 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2090 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2091 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2092 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2093 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2094 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2095 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2096 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2098 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2099 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2100 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2102 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2103 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2108 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2109 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2110 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2111 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2112 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2116 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2117 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2118 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2119 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2120 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2121 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2122 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2123 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2124 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2125 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2128 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2129 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2130 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2131 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2132 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2135 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2136 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2137 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2138 doing any processing of its contents
2139 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2140 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2141 manner will have no permanent effects.
2145 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2146 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2147 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2148 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2149 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2150 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2151 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2152 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2153 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2154 most recently will be fetched.
2156 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2157 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2158 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2161 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles
2162 In groups in some news servers, there might be a big gap between a few
2163 very old articles that will never be expired and the recent ones. In
2164 such a case, the server will return the data like @code{(1 . 30000000)}
2165 for the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, for example. Even if there
2166 are actually only the articles 1-10 and 29999900-30000000, Gnus doesn't
2167 know it at first and prepares for getting 30000000 articles. However,
2168 it will consume hundreds megabytes of memories and might make Emacs get
2169 stuck as the case may be. If you use such news servers, set the
2170 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} to a positive number.
2171 The value means that Gnus ignores articles other than this number of the
2172 latest ones in every group. For instance, the value 10000 makes Gnus
2173 get only the articles 29990001-30000000 (if the latest article number is
2174 30000000 in a group). Note that setting this variable to a number might
2175 prevent you from reading very old articles. The default value of the
2176 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} is @code{nil}, which
2177 means Gnus never ignores old articles.
2179 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2180 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2181 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2182 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2183 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2184 Which article this is controlled by the
2185 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2191 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2194 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2197 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2199 @item unseen-or-unread
2200 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2201 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2205 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2209 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2210 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2212 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2213 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2214 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2215 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2219 @node Subscription Commands
2220 @section Subscription Commands
2221 @cindex subscription
2229 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2230 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2231 Toggle subscription to the current group
2232 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2238 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2239 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2240 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2241 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2247 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2248 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2249 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2255 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2256 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2259 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2260 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2261 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2262 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2263 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2269 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2270 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2274 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2275 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2278 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2279 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2280 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2281 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2282 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2283 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2284 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2285 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2286 @file{.newsrc} file.
2290 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2300 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2301 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2302 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2303 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2304 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2305 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2310 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2311 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2312 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2316 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2317 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2318 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2320 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2321 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2322 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2323 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2324 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2325 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2332 @section Group Levels
2336 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2337 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2338 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2339 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2340 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2342 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2348 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2349 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2350 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2351 prompted for a level.
2354 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2355 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2356 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2357 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2358 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2359 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2360 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2361 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2362 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2363 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2364 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2365 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2366 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2367 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2368 reasons of efficiency.
2370 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2371 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2373 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2374 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2375 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2376 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2377 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2378 groups are hidden, in a way.
2380 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2381 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2382 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2383 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2384 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2385 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2387 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2388 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2389 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2390 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2391 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2392 list of killed groups.)
2394 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2395 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2396 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2398 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2399 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2400 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2401 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2402 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2403 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2404 relevant valid ranges.
2406 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2407 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2408 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2409 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2410 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2411 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2414 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2415 one with the best level.
2417 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2418 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2419 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2422 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2423 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2424 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2425 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2428 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2429 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2430 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2431 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2433 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2434 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2435 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2436 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2437 to 5. The default is 6.
2441 @section Group Score
2446 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2447 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2448 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2451 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2452 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2453 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2454 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2455 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2456 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2457 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2458 least significant part.))
2460 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2461 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2462 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2463 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2464 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2465 action after each summary exit, you can add
2466 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2467 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2468 slow things down somewhat.
2471 @node Marking Groups
2472 @section Marking Groups
2473 @cindex marking groups
2475 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2476 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2477 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2478 bidding on those groups.
2480 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2481 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2482 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2490 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2491 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2497 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2498 Remove the mark from the current group
2499 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2503 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2504 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2508 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2509 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2514 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2518 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2519 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2520 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2523 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2525 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2526 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2527 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2528 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2529 the command to be executed.
2532 @node Foreign Groups
2533 @section Foreign Groups
2534 @cindex foreign groups
2536 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2537 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2538 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2539 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2542 Changes from the group editing commands are stored in
2543 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} (@code{gnus-startup-file}). An alternative is the
2544 variable @code{gnus-parameters}, @xref{Group Parameters}.
2550 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2551 @cindex making groups
2552 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2553 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2554 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2558 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2559 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2560 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2564 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2565 @cindex renaming groups
2566 Rename the current group to something else
2567 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2568 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2574 @findex gnus-group-customize
2575 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2579 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2580 @cindex renaming groups
2581 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2582 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2586 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2587 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2588 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2592 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2593 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2594 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2598 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2600 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2601 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2606 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2607 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2611 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2613 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2614 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2615 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2619 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2620 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2622 Make a group based on some file or other
2623 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2624 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2625 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2626 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2627 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2628 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2629 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2630 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2631 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2635 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2636 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2637 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2638 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2642 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2646 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2647 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2648 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2649 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2650 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2651 @xref{Web Searches}.
2653 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2654 to a particular group by using a match string like
2655 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2659 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2660 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2661 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2665 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2666 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2667 This function will delete the current group
2668 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2669 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2670 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2671 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2672 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2676 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2677 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2678 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2682 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2683 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2684 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2687 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2690 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2691 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2692 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2693 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2694 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2695 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2699 The following commands create ephemeral groups. They can be called not
2700 only from the Group buffer, but in any Gnus buffer.
2703 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2704 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2705 @vindex gnus-gmane-group-download-format
2706 Read an ephemeral group on Gmane.org. The articles are downloaded via
2707 HTTP using the URL specified by @code{gnus-gmane-group-download-format}.
2708 Gnus will prompt you for a group name, the start article number and an
2711 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2712 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2713 This command is similar to @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group}, but
2714 the group name and the article number and range are constructed from a
2715 given @acronym{URL}. Supported @acronym{URL} formats include e.g.
2716 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12300/focus=12399},
2717 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2718 @url{http://article.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2719 @url{http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/}, and
2720 @url{http://news.gmane.org/group/gmane.foo.bar/thread=12345}.
2722 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2723 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2724 Read an Emacs bug report in an ephemeral group. Gnus will prompt for a
2725 bug number. The default is the number at point. The @acronym{URL} is
2726 specified in @code{gnus-bug-group-download-format-alist}.
2728 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2729 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2730 Read a Debian bug report in an ephemeral group. Analog to
2731 @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group}.
2734 Some of these command are also useful for article buttons, @xref{Article
2742 '("#\\([0-9]+\\)\\>" 1
2743 (string-match "\\<emacs\\>" (or gnus-newsgroup-name ""))
2744 gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group 1))
2748 @node Group Parameters
2749 @section Group Parameters
2750 @cindex group parameters
2752 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2754 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2755 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2756 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2757 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2758 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2759 Additionally, you can set group parameters via the
2760 @code{gnus-parameters} variable, see below.
2762 Here's an example group parameter list:
2765 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2769 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2770 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2771 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2772 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2774 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2775 is an alist of regexps and values.
2777 The following group parameters can be used:
2782 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2785 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2788 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2789 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2790 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2791 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2792 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2794 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2795 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2796 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2797 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2798 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2799 list address instead.
2801 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2805 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2808 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2811 It is totally ignored
2812 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2813 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2815 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2816 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2817 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2818 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2819 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2821 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2822 @cindex mail list groups
2823 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2824 entering summary buffer.
2826 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2831 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2832 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2833 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2834 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2835 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2836 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2837 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2838 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2841 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2842 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2845 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2846 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2850 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2851 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2852 of whether it has any unread articles.
2854 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2855 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2857 @item broken-reply-to
2858 @cindex broken-reply-to
2859 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2860 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2861 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2862 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2863 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2864 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2868 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2869 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2873 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2874 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2875 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2880 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2881 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2882 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2883 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2884 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2885 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2886 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2888 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2889 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2890 doesn't accept articles.
2894 @cindex expiring mail
2895 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2896 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2897 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2899 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2902 @cindex total-expire
2903 @cindex expiring mail
2904 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2905 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2906 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2907 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2910 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2914 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2915 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2916 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2917 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2918 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2919 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2920 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2923 @cindex expiry-target
2924 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2925 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2928 @cindex score file group parameter
2929 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2930 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2931 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2934 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2935 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2936 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2937 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2940 @cindex admin-address
2941 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2942 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2943 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2944 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2948 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2949 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2953 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2956 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2957 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2960 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2964 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2966 Here are some examples:
2970 Display only unread articles.
2973 Display everything except expirable articles.
2975 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2976 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2980 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2981 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2982 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2983 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2984 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2988 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2989 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2990 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2994 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2995 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2996 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
3000 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
3001 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
3002 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
3004 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
3006 @item ignored-charsets
3007 @cindex ignored-charset
3008 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
3009 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
3010 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
3012 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
3015 @cindex posting-style
3016 You can store additional posting style information for this group
3017 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
3018 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
3019 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
3020 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
3022 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
3023 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
3024 like this in the group parameters:
3029 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
3030 (signature "Funky Signature"))
3033 If you're using topics to organize your group buffer
3034 (@pxref{Group Topics}), note that posting styles can also be set in
3035 the topics parameters. Posting styles in topic parameters apply to all
3036 groups in this topic. More precisely, the posting-style settings for a
3037 group result from the hierarchical merging of all posting-style
3038 entries in the parameters of this group and all the topics it belongs
3044 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
3045 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
3049 If it is set, and the setting of @code{mail-sources} includes a
3050 @code{group} mail source (@pxref{Mail Sources}), the value is a
3051 mail source for this group.
3055 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
3056 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
3057 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
3058 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
3059 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
3063 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
3064 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
3065 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
3066 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3068 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3069 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3070 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3071 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3074 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
3075 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3079 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3080 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3081 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3082 like the following is generated:
3085 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3086 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3090 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3091 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3093 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3094 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3096 @item (agent parameters)
3097 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3098 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3099 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3100 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3101 minimize the configuration effort.
3103 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3104 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3105 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3106 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3107 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3108 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3109 @code{eval}ed there.
3111 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer
3112 if and only if @var{variable} has been bound as a variable. Otherwise,
3113 only evaluating the form will take place. So, you may want to bind the
3114 variable in advance using @code{defvar} or other if the result of the
3115 form needs to be set to it.
3117 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3118 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3119 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3120 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3121 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3122 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3123 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3126 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3129 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3130 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3131 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3134 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3137 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3138 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3139 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3140 into the group parameters for the group.
3142 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3143 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3144 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group. If
3145 @code{dummy-variable} has been bound (see above), it will be set to the
3146 (meaningless) result of the @code{(ding)} form.
3148 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3149 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3150 following is added to a group parameter
3153 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3154 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3157 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3162 @vindex gnus-parameters
3163 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3164 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3165 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3169 (setq gnus-parameters
3171 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3172 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3173 (gnus-summary-line-format
3174 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3178 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3182 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3186 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3189 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3190 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3192 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3193 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3194 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3195 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3196 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3197 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3198 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3199 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3200 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3201 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3202 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3203 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3205 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3206 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3207 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3208 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3209 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3210 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3211 weekly news RSS feed
3212 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3218 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3219 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3220 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3221 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3222 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3224 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3225 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3226 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3227 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3228 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3229 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3233 @node Listing Groups
3234 @section Listing Groups
3235 @cindex group listing
3237 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3245 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3246 List all groups that have unread articles
3247 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3248 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3249 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3250 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3257 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3258 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3259 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3260 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3261 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3262 unsubscribed groups).
3266 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3267 List all unread groups on a specific level
3268 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3269 with no unread articles.
3273 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3274 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3275 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3276 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3281 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3282 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3286 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3287 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3288 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3292 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3293 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3297 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3298 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3299 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3300 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3301 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3302 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3303 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3304 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3308 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3309 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3310 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3314 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3315 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3316 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3320 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3321 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3325 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3326 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3330 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3331 List groups limited within the current selection
3332 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3336 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3337 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3341 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3342 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3346 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3347 @cindex visible group parameter
3348 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3349 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3350 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3351 get the same effect.
3353 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3354 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3355 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3356 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3357 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3360 @node Sorting Groups
3361 @section Sorting Groups
3362 @cindex sorting groups
3364 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3365 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3366 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3367 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3368 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3369 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3374 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3375 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3376 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3378 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3379 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3380 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3382 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3383 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3384 Sort by group level.
3386 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3387 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3388 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3390 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3391 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3392 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3393 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3395 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3396 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3397 Sort by number of unread articles.
3399 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3400 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3401 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3403 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3404 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3405 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3410 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3411 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3415 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3416 some sorting criteria:
3420 @kindex G S a (Group)
3421 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3422 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3423 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3426 @kindex G S u (Group)
3427 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3428 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3429 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3432 @kindex G S l (Group)
3433 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3434 Sort the group buffer by group level
3435 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3438 @kindex G S v (Group)
3439 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3440 Sort the group buffer by group score
3441 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3444 @kindex G S r (Group)
3445 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3446 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3447 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3450 @kindex G S m (Group)
3451 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3452 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3453 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3456 @kindex G S n (Group)
3457 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3458 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3459 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3463 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3464 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3466 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3467 commands will sort in reverse order.
3469 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3473 @kindex G P a (Group)
3474 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3475 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3476 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3479 @kindex G P u (Group)
3480 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3481 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3482 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3485 @kindex G P l (Group)
3486 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3487 Sort the groups by group level
3488 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3491 @kindex G P v (Group)
3492 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3493 Sort the groups by group score
3494 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3497 @kindex G P r (Group)
3498 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3499 Sort the groups by group rank
3500 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3503 @kindex G P m (Group)
3504 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3505 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3506 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3509 @kindex G P n (Group)
3510 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3511 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3512 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3515 @kindex G P s (Group)
3516 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3517 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3521 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3525 @node Group Maintenance
3526 @section Group Maintenance
3527 @cindex bogus groups
3532 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3533 Find bogus groups and delete them
3534 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3538 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3539 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3540 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3541 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3542 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3546 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3547 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3548 @cindex expiring mail
3549 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3550 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3551 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3552 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3555 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3556 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3557 @cindex expiring mail
3558 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3559 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3564 @node Browse Foreign Server
3565 @section Browse Foreign Server
3566 @cindex foreign servers
3567 @cindex browsing servers
3572 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3573 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3574 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3575 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3578 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3579 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3580 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3581 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3583 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3588 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3589 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3593 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3594 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3597 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3598 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3599 Enter the current group and display the first article
3600 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3603 @kindex RET (Browse)
3604 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3605 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3609 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3610 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3611 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3617 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3618 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3622 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3623 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3627 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3628 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3629 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3634 @section Exiting Gnus
3635 @cindex exiting Gnus
3637 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3642 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3643 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3644 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3645 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3649 @findex gnus-group-exit
3650 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3651 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3655 @findex gnus-group-quit
3656 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3657 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3660 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3661 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3662 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3663 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3664 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3665 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3671 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3672 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3673 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3679 @section Group Topics
3682 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3683 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3684 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3685 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3686 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3687 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3691 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3692 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3703 2: alt.religion.emacs
3706 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3708 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3709 13: comp.sources.unix
3712 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3714 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3715 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3716 is a toggling command.)
3718 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3719 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3720 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3721 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3724 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3725 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3726 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3729 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3733 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3734 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3735 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3736 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3737 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3741 @node Topic Commands
3742 @subsection Topic Commands
3743 @cindex topic commands
3745 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3746 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3747 definitions slightly.
3749 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3750 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3751 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3752 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3753 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3754 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3756 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3763 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3764 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3765 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3769 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3771 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3772 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3773 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3774 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3777 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3778 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3779 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3780 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3784 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3785 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3786 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3787 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3793 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3794 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3795 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3799 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3800 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3801 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3804 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3805 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3806 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3807 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3808 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3810 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3811 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3815 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3816 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3823 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3825 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3826 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3827 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3828 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3829 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3830 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3834 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3840 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3841 Move the current group to some other topic
3842 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3843 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3847 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3848 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3852 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3853 Copy the current group to some other topic
3854 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3855 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3859 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3860 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3861 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3865 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3866 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3867 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3871 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3872 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3873 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3874 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3875 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3876 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3877 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3880 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3881 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3885 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3886 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3887 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3891 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3892 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3893 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3897 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3898 Toggle hiding empty topics
3899 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3903 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3904 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3905 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3906 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3909 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3910 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3911 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3912 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3913 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3916 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3917 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3918 @cindex expiring mail
3919 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3920 expiry process (if any)
3921 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3925 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3926 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3929 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3930 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3931 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3935 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3936 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3937 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3940 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3941 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3942 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3945 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3946 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3947 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3951 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3952 @cindex group parameters
3953 @cindex topic parameters
3955 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3956 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3961 @node Topic Variables
3962 @subsection Topic Variables
3963 @cindex topic variables
3965 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3966 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3968 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3969 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3970 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3983 Number of groups in the topic.
3985 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3987 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3990 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3991 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3992 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3995 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3996 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3998 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3999 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
4000 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
4004 @subsection Topic Sorting
4005 @cindex topic sorting
4007 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
4013 @kindex T S a (Topic)
4014 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
4015 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
4016 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
4019 @kindex T S u (Topic)
4020 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
4021 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
4022 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
4025 @kindex T S l (Topic)
4026 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
4027 Sort the current topic by group level
4028 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
4031 @kindex T S v (Topic)
4032 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
4033 Sort the current topic by group score
4034 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
4037 @kindex T S r (Topic)
4038 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
4039 Sort the current topic by group rank
4040 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
4043 @kindex T S m (Topic)
4044 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
4045 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
4046 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
4049 @kindex T S e (Topic)
4050 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
4051 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
4052 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
4055 @kindex T S s (Topic)
4056 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
4057 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
4058 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
4059 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
4063 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
4064 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
4068 @node Topic Topology
4069 @subsection Topic Topology
4070 @cindex topic topology
4073 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
4080 2: alt.religion.emacs
4083 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4085 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4086 13: comp.sources.unix
4090 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4091 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4092 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4097 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4098 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4102 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4103 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4104 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4105 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4106 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4107 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4109 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4110 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4111 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4114 @node Topic Parameters
4115 @subsection Topic Parameters
4116 @cindex topic parameters
4118 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4119 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4120 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4121 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4122 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4124 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4129 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4130 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4131 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4134 @item subscribe-level
4135 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4136 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4137 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4141 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4142 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4143 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4144 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4151 2: alt.religion.emacs
4155 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4157 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4158 13: comp.sources.unix
4163 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4164 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4165 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4166 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4167 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4168 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4170 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4171 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4172 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4173 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4174 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4176 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4177 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4178 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4179 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4180 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4181 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4182 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4183 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4186 @node Non-ASCII Group Names
4187 @section Accessing groups of non-English names
4188 @cindex non-ascii group names
4190 There are some news servers that provide groups of which the names are
4191 expressed with their native languages in the world. For instance, in a
4192 certain news server there are some newsgroups of which the names are
4193 spelled in Chinese, where people are talking in Chinese. You can, of
4194 course, subscribe to such news groups using Gnus. Currently Gnus
4195 supports non-@acronym{ASCII} group names not only with the @code{nntp}
4196 back end but also with the @code{nnml} back end and the @code{nnrss}
4199 Every such group name is encoded by a certain charset in the server
4200 side (in an @acronym{NNTP} server its administrator determines the
4201 charset, but for groups in the other back ends it is determined by you).
4202 Gnus has to display the decoded ones for you in the group buffer and the
4203 article buffer, and needs to use the encoded ones when communicating
4204 with servers. However, Gnus doesn't know what charset is used for each
4205 non-@acronym{ASCII} group name. The following two variables are just
4206 the ones for telling Gnus what charset should be used for each group:
4209 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4210 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4211 An alist of select methods and charsets. The default value is
4212 @code{nil}. The names of groups in the server specified by that select
4213 method are all supposed to use the corresponding charset. For example:
4216 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4217 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4220 Charsets specified for groups with this variable are preferred to the
4221 ones specified for the same groups with the
4222 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} variable (see below).
4224 A select method can be very long, like:
4228 (nntp-address "news.gmane.org")
4229 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
4230 (nntp-open-connection-function
4231 nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
4232 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
4233 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
4234 ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
4235 (nntp-via-address @dots{}))
4238 In that case, you can truncate it into @code{(nntp "gmane")} in this
4239 variable. That is, it is enough to contain only the back end name and
4242 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4243 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4244 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4245 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
4246 @code{((".*" . utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported,
4247 otherwise the default is @code{nil}. For example:
4250 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4251 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)
4255 Note that this variable is ignored if the match is made with
4256 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist}.
4259 Those two variables are used also to determine the charset for encoding
4260 and decoding non-@acronym{ASCII} group names that are in the back ends
4261 other than @code{nntp}. It means that it is you who determine it. If
4262 you do nothing, the charset used for group names in those back ends will
4263 all be @code{utf-8} because of the last element of
4264 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4266 There is one more important variable for non-@acronym{ASCII} group
4270 @item nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4271 @vindex nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4272 The value of this variable should be a coding system or @code{nil}. The
4273 default is @code{nil} in Emacs, or is the aliasee of the coding system
4274 named @code{file-name} (a certain coding system of which an alias is
4275 @code{file-name}) in XEmacs.
4277 The @code{nnml} back end, the @code{nnrss} back end, the @acronym{NNTP}
4278 marks feature (@pxref{NNTP marks}), the agent, and the cache use
4279 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names in those files and directories. This
4280 variable overrides the value of @code{file-name-coding-system} which
4281 specifies the coding system used when encoding and decoding those file
4282 names and directory names.
4284 In XEmacs (with the @code{mule} feature), @code{file-name-coding-system}
4285 is the only means to specify the coding system used to encode and decode
4286 file names. On the other hand, Emacs uses the value of
4287 @code{default-file-name-coding-system} if @code{file-name-coding-system}
4288 is @code{nil} or it is bound to the value of
4289 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} which is @code{nil}.
4291 Normally the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system} in Emacs or
4292 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} in XEmacs is initialized according
4293 to the locale, so you will need to do nothing if the value is suitable
4294 to encode and decode non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4296 The value of this variable (or @code{default-file-name-coding-system})
4297 does not necessarily need to be the same value that is determined by
4298 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} and
4299 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4301 If @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable is
4302 initialized by default to @code{iso-latin-1} for example, although you
4303 want to subscribe to the groups spelled in Chinese, that is the most
4304 typical case where you have to customize
4305 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}. The @code{utf-8} coding system is
4306 a good candidate for it. Otherwise, you may change the locale in your
4307 system so that @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable
4308 may be initialized to an appropriate value.
4311 Note that when you copy or move articles from a non-@acronym{ASCII}
4312 group to another group, the charset used to encode and decode group
4313 names should be the same in both groups. Otherwise the Newsgroups
4314 header will be displayed incorrectly in the article buffer.
4321 * nnir:: Searching on IMAP, with swish, namazu, etc.
4322 * nnmairix:: Searching maildir, MH or mbox with Mairix.
4327 FIXME: This node is a stub.
4329 FIXME: Add a brief overview of Gnus search capabilities. A brief
4330 comparison of nnir, nnmairix, contrib/gnus-namazu would be nice
4333 FIXME: Explain difference to @ref{Searching for Articles}, add reference
4339 FIXME: As a first step, convert the commentary of @file{nnir} to texi.
4343 @subsection nnmairix
4347 This paragraph describes how to set up mairix and the back end
4348 @code{nnmairix} for indexing and searching your mail from within
4349 Gnus. Additionally, you can create permanent ``smart'' groups which are
4350 bound to mairix searches and are automatically updated.
4353 * About mairix:: About the mairix mail search engine
4354 * nnmairix requirements:: What you will need for using nnmairix
4355 * What nnmairix does:: What does nnmairix actually do?
4356 * Setting up mairix:: Set up your mairix installation
4357 * Configuring nnmairix:: Set up the nnmairix back end
4358 * nnmairix keyboard shortcuts:: List of available keyboard shortcuts
4359 * Propagating marks:: How to propagate marks from nnmairix groups
4360 * nnmairix tips and tricks:: Some tips, tricks and examples
4361 * nnmairix caveats:: Some more stuff you might want to know
4364 @c FIXME: The markup in this section might need improvement.
4365 @c E.g. adding @samp, @var, @file, @command, etc.
4366 @c Cf. (info "(texinfo)Indicating")
4369 @subsubsection About mairix
4371 Mairix is a tool for indexing and searching words in locally stored
4372 mail. It was written by Richard Curnow and is licensed under the
4373 GPL. Mairix comes with most popular GNU/Linux distributions, but it also
4374 runs under Windows (with cygwin), Mac OS X and Solaris. The homepage can
4376 @uref{http://www.rpcurnow.force9.co.uk/mairix/index.html}
4378 Though mairix might not be as flexible as other search tools like
4379 swish++ or namazu, which you can use via the @code{nnir} back end, it
4380 has the prime advantage of being incredibly fast. On current systems, it
4381 can easily search through headers and message bodies of thousands and
4382 thousands of mails in well under a second. Building the database
4383 necessary for searching might take a minute or two, but only has to be
4384 done once fully. Afterwards, the updates are done incrementally and
4385 therefore are really fast, too. Additionally, mairix is very easy to set
4388 For maximum speed though, mairix should be used with mails stored in
4389 @code{Maildir} or @code{MH} format (this includes the @code{nnml} back
4390 end), although it also works with mbox. Mairix presents the search
4391 results by populating a @emph{virtual} maildir/MH folder with symlinks
4392 which point to the ``real'' message files (if mbox is used, copies are
4393 made). Since mairix already presents search results in such a virtual
4394 mail folder, it is very well suited for using it as an external program
4395 for creating @emph{smart} mail folders, which represent certain mail
4398 @node nnmairix requirements
4399 @subsubsection nnmairix requirements
4401 Mairix searches local mail---that means, mairix absolutely must have
4402 direct access to your mail folders. If your mail resides on another
4403 server (e.g. an @acronym{IMAP} server) and you happen to have shell
4404 access, @code{nnmairix} supports running mairix remotely, e.g. via ssh.
4406 Additionally, @code{nnmairix} only supports the following Gnus back
4407 ends: @code{nnml}, @code{nnmaildir}, and @code{nnimap}. You must use
4408 one of these back ends for using @code{nnmairix}. Other back ends, like
4409 @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnfolder} or @code{nnmh}, won't work.
4411 If you absolutely must use mbox and still want to use @code{nnmairix},
4412 you can set up a local @acronym{IMAP} server, which you then access via
4413 @code{nnimap}. This is a rather massive setup for accessing some mbox
4414 files, so just change to MH or Maildir already... However, if you're
4415 really, really passionate about using mbox, you might want to look into
4416 the package @file{mairix.el}, which comes with Emacs 23.
4418 @node What nnmairix does
4419 @subsubsection What nnmairix does
4421 The back end @code{nnmairix} enables you to call mairix from within Gnus,
4422 either to query mairix with a search term or to update the
4423 database. While visiting a message in the summary buffer, you can use
4424 several pre-defined shortcuts for calling mairix, e.g. to quickly
4425 search for all mails from the sender of the current message or to
4426 display the whole thread associated with the message, even if the
4427 mails are in different folders.
4429 Additionally, you can create permanent @code{nnmairix} groups which are bound
4430 to certain mairix searches. This way, you can easily create a group
4431 containing mails from a certain sender, with a certain subject line or
4432 even for one specific thread based on the Message-ID. If you check for
4433 new mail in these folders (e.g. by pressing @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g}), they
4434 automatically update themselves by calling mairix.
4436 You might ask why you need @code{nnmairix} at all, since mairix already
4437 creates the group, populates it with links to the mails so that you can
4438 then access it with Gnus, right? Well, this @emph{might} work, but often
4439 does not---at least not without problems. Most probably you will get
4440 strange article counts, and sometimes you might see mails which Gnus
4441 claims have already been canceled and are inaccessible. This is due to
4442 the fact that Gnus isn't really amused when things are happening behind
4443 its back. Another problem can be the mail back end itself, e.g. if you
4444 use mairix with an @acronym{IMAP} server (I had Dovecot complaining
4445 about corrupt index files when mairix changed the contents of the search
4446 group). Using @code{nnmairix} should circumvent these problems.
4448 @code{nnmairix} is not really a mail back end---it's actually more like
4449 a wrapper, sitting between a ``real'' mail back end where mairix stores
4450 the searches and the Gnus front end. You can choose between three
4451 different mail back ends for the mairix folders: @code{nnml},
4452 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnimap}. @code{nnmairix} will call the mairix
4453 binary so that the search results are stored in folders named
4454 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>} on this mail back end, but it will
4455 present these folders in the Gnus front end only with @code{<NAME>}.
4456 You can use an existing mail back end where you already store your mail,
4457 but if you're uncomfortable with @code{nnmairix} creating new mail
4458 groups alongside your other mail, you can also create e.g. a new
4459 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml} server exclusively for mairix, but then
4460 make sure those servers do not accidentally receive your new mail
4461 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). A special case exists if you want to use
4462 mairix remotely on an IMAP server with @code{nnimap}---here the mairix
4463 folders and your other mail must be on the same @code{nnimap} back end.
4465 @node Setting up mairix
4466 @subsubsection Setting up mairix
4468 First: create a backup of your mail folders (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}).
4470 Setting up mairix is easy: simply create a @file{.mairixrc} file with
4471 (at least) the following entries:
4474 # Your Maildir/MH base folder
4478 This is the base folder for your mails. All the following directories
4479 are relative to this base folder. If you want to use @code{nnmairix}
4480 with @code{nnimap}, this base directory has to point to the mail
4481 directory where the @acronym{IMAP} server stores the mail folders!
4484 maildir= ... your maildir folders which should be indexed ...
4485 mh= ... your nnml/mh folders which should be indexed ...
4486 mbox = ... your mbox files which should be indexed ...
4489 This specifies all your mail folders and mbox files (relative to the
4490 base directory!) you want to index with mairix. Note that the
4491 @code{nnml} back end saves mails in MH format, so you have to put those
4492 directories in the @code{mh} line. See the example at the end of this
4493 section and mairixrc's man-page for further details.
4499 @vindex nnmairix-group-prefix
4500 This should make sure that you don't accidentally index the mairix
4501 search results. You can change the prefix of these folders with the
4502 variable @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
4505 mformat= ... 'maildir' or 'mh' ...
4506 database= ... location of database file ...
4509 The @code{format} setting specifies the output format for the mairix
4510 search folder. Set this to @code{mh} if you want to access search results
4511 with @code{nnml}. Otherwise choose @code{maildir}.
4513 To summarize, here is my shortened @file{.mairixrc} file as an example:
4517 maildir=.personal:.work:.logcheck:.sent
4518 mh=../Mail/nnml/*...
4519 mbox=../mboxmail/mailarchive_year*
4522 database=~/.mairixdatabase
4525 In this case, the base directory is @file{~/Maildir}, where all my Maildir
4526 folders are stored. As you can see, the folders are separated by
4527 colons. If you wonder why every folder begins with a dot: this is
4528 because I use Dovecot as @acronym{IMAP} server, which again uses
4529 @code{Maildir++} folders. For testing nnmairix, I also have some
4530 @code{nnml} mail, which is saved in @file{~/Mail/nnml}. Since this has
4531 to be specified relative to the @code{base} directory, the @code{../Mail}
4532 notation is needed. Note that the line ends in @code{*...}, which means
4533 to recursively scan all files under this directory. Without the three
4534 dots, the wildcard @code{*} will not work recursively. I also have some
4535 old mbox files with archived mail lying around in @file{~/mboxmail}.
4536 The other lines should be obvious.
4538 See the man page for @code{mairixrc} for details and further options,
4539 especially regarding wildcard usage, which may be a little different
4540 than you are used to.
4542 Now simply call @code{mairix} to create the index for the first time.
4543 Note that this may take a few minutes, but every following index will do
4544 the updates incrementally and hence is very fast.
4546 @node Configuring nnmairix
4547 @subsubsection Configuring nnmairix
4549 In group mode, type @kbd{G b c}
4550 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). This will ask you for all
4551 necessary information and create a @code{nnmairix} server as a foreign
4552 server. You will have to specify the following:
4557 The @strong{name} of the @code{nnmairix} server---choose whatever you
4561 The name of the @strong{back end server} where mairix should store its
4562 searches. This must be a full server name, like @code{nnml:mymail}.
4563 Just hit @kbd{TAB} to see the available servers. Currently, servers
4564 which are accessed through @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnimap} and
4565 @code{nnml} are supported. As explained above, for locally stored
4566 mails, this can be an existing server where you store your mails.
4567 However, you can also create e.g. a new @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml}
4568 server exclusively for @code{nnmairix} in your secondary select methods
4569 (@pxref{Finding the News}). If you use a secondary @code{nnml} server
4570 just for mairix, make sure that you explicitly set the server variable
4571 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}, or you might loose mail
4572 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). If you want to use mairix remotely on an
4573 @acronym{IMAP} server, you have to choose the corresponding
4574 @code{nnimap} server here.
4577 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-search-options
4578 The @strong{command} to call the mairix binary. This will usually just
4579 be @code{mairix}, but you can also choose something like @code{ssh
4580 SERVER mairix} if you want to call mairix remotely, e.g. on your
4581 @acronym{IMAP} server. If you want to add some default options to
4582 mairix, you could do this here, but better use the variable
4583 @code{nnmairix-mairix-search-options} instead.
4586 The name of the @strong{default search group}. This will be the group
4587 where all temporary mairix searches are stored, i.e. all searches which
4588 are not bound to permanent @code{nnmairix} groups. Choose whatever you
4592 If the mail back end is @code{nnimap} or @code{nnmaildir}, you will be
4593 asked if you work with @strong{Maildir++}, i.e. with hidden maildir
4594 folders (=beginning with a dot). For example, you have to answer
4595 @samp{yes} here if you work with the Dovecot @acronym{IMAP}
4596 server. Otherwise, you should answer @samp{no} here.
4600 @node nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
4601 @subsubsection nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
4608 @kindex G b c (Group)
4609 @findex nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group
4610 Creates @code{nnmairix} server and default search group for this server
4611 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). You should have done
4612 this by now (@pxref{Configuring nnmairix}).
4615 @kindex G b s (Group)
4616 @findex nnmairix-search
4617 Prompts for query which is then sent to the mairix binary. Search
4618 results are put into the default search group which is automatically
4619 displayed (@code{nnmairix-search}).
4622 @kindex G b m (Group)
4623 @findex nnmairix-widget-search
4624 Allows you to create a mairix search or a permanent group more
4625 comfortably using graphical widgets, similar to a customization
4626 group. Just try it to see how it works (@code{nnmairix-widget-search}).
4629 @kindex G b i (Group)
4630 @findex nnmairix-search-interactive
4631 Another command for creating a mairix query more comfortably, but uses
4632 only the minibuffer (@code{nnmairix-search-interactive}).
4635 @kindex G b g (Group)
4636 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group
4637 Creates a permanent group which is associated with a search query
4638 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group}). The @code{nnmairix} back end
4639 automatically calls mairix when you update this group with @kbd{g} or
4643 @kindex G b q (Group)
4644 @findex nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group
4645 Changes the search query for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor
4646 (@code{nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group}).
4649 @kindex G b t (Group)
4650 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group
4651 Toggles the 'threads' parameter for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor,
4652 i.e. if you want see the whole threads of the found messages
4653 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group}).
4656 @kindex G b u (Group)
4657 @findex nnmairix-update-database
4658 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-update-options
4659 Calls mairix binary for updating the database
4660 (@code{nnmairix-update-database}). The default parameters are @code{-F}
4661 and @code{-Q} for making this as fast as possible (see variable
4662 @code{nnmairix-mairix-update-options} for defining these default
4666 @kindex G b r (Group)
4667 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group
4668 Keep articles in this @code{nnmairix} group always read or unread, or leave the
4669 marks unchanged (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group}).
4672 @kindex G b d (Group)
4673 @findex nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group
4674 Recreate @code{nnmairix} group on the ``real'' mail back end
4675 (@code{nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group}). You can do this if
4676 you always get wrong article counts with a @code{nnmairix} group.
4679 @kindex G b a (Group)
4680 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group
4681 Toggles the @code{allow-fast} parameters for group under cursor
4682 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group}). The default
4683 behavior of @code{nnmairix} is to do a mairix search every time you
4684 update or enter the group. With the @code{allow-fast} parameter set,
4685 mairix will only be called when you explicitly update the group, but not
4686 upon entering. This makes entering the group faster, but it may also
4687 lead to dangling symlinks if something changed between updating and
4688 entering the group which is not yet in the mairix database.
4691 @kindex G b p (Group)
4692 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group
4693 Toggle marks propagation for this group
4694 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group}). (@pxref{Propagating
4698 @kindex G b o (Group)
4699 @findex nnmairix-propagate-marks
4700 Manually propagate marks (@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks}); needed only when
4701 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} is set to @code{nil}.
4710 @kindex $ m (Summary)
4711 @findex nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article
4712 Allows you to create a mairix query or group based on the current
4713 message using graphical widgets (same as @code{nnmairix-widget-search})
4714 (@code{nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article}).
4717 @kindex $ g (Summary)
4718 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message
4719 Interactively creates a new search group with query based on the current
4720 message, but uses the minibuffer instead of graphical widgets
4721 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message}).
4724 @kindex $ t (Summary)
4725 @findex nnmairix-search-thread-this-article
4726 Searches thread for the current article
4727 (@code{nnmairix-search-thread-this-article}). This is effectively a
4728 shortcut for calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{m:msgid} of the
4729 current article and enabled threads.
4732 @kindex $ f (Summary)
4733 @findex nnmairix-search-from-this-article
4734 Searches all messages from sender of the current article
4735 (@code{nnmairix-search-from-this-article}). This is a shortcut for
4736 calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{f:From}.
4739 @kindex $ o (Summary)
4740 @findex nnmairix-goto-original-article
4741 (Only in @code{nnmairix} groups!) Tries determine the group this article
4742 originally came from and displays the article in this group, so that
4743 e.g. replying to this article the correct posting styles/group
4744 parameters are applied (@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article}). This
4745 function will use the registry if available, but can also parse the
4746 article file name as a fallback method.
4749 @kindex $ u (Summary)
4750 @findex nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article
4751 Remove possibly existing tick mark from original article
4752 (@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article}). (@pxref{nnmairix
4757 @node Propagating marks
4758 @subsubsection Propagating marks
4760 First of: you really need a patched mairix binary for using the marks
4761 propagation feature efficiently. Otherwise, you would have to update
4762 the mairix database all the time. You can get the patch at
4764 @uref{http://www.randomsample.de/mairix-maildir-patch.tar}
4766 You need the mairix v0.21 source code for this patch; everything else
4767 is explained in the accompanied readme file. If you don't want to use
4768 marks propagation, you don't have to apply these patches, but they also
4769 fix some annoyances regarding changing maildir flags, so it might still
4772 With the patched mairix binary, you can use @code{nnmairix} as an
4773 alternative to mail splitting (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}). For
4774 example, instead of splitting all mails from @samp{david@@foobar.com}
4775 into a group, you can simply create a search group with the query
4776 @samp{f:david@@foobar.com}. This is actually what ``smart folders'' are
4777 all about: simply put everything in one mail folder and dynamically
4778 create searches instead of splitting. This is more flexible, since you
4779 can dynamically change your folders any time you want to. This also
4780 implies that you will usually read your mails in the @code{nnmairix}
4781 groups instead of your ``real'' mail groups.
4783 There is one problem, though: say you got a new mail from
4784 @samp{david@@foobar.com}; it will now show up in two groups, the
4785 ``real'' group (your INBOX, for example) and in the @code{nnmairix}
4786 search group (provided you have updated the mairix database). Now you
4787 enter the @code{nnmairix} group and read the mail. The mail will be
4788 marked as read, but only in the @code{nnmairix} group---in the ``real''
4789 mail group it will be still shown as unread.
4791 You could now catch up the mail group (@pxref{Group Data}), but this is
4792 tedious and error prone, since you may overlook mails you don't have
4793 created @code{nnmairix} groups for. Of course, you could first use
4794 @code{nnmairix-goto-original-article} (@pxref{nnmairix keyboard
4795 shortcuts}) and then read the mail in the original group, but that's
4796 even more cumbersome.
4798 Clearly, the easiest way would be if marks could somehow be
4799 automatically set for the original article. This is exactly what
4800 @emph{marks propagation} is about.
4802 Marks propagation is deactivated by default. You can activate it for a
4803 certain @code{nnmairix} group with
4804 @code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group} (bound to @kbd{G b
4805 p}). This function will warn you if you try to use it with your default
4806 search group; the reason is that the default search group is used for
4807 temporary searches, and it's easy to accidentally propagate marks from
4808 this group. However, you can ignore this warning if you really want to.
4810 With marks propagation enabled, all the marks you set in a @code{nnmairix}
4811 group should now be propagated to the original article. For example,
4812 you can now tick an article (by default with @kbd{!}) and this mark should
4813 magically be set for the original article, too.
4815 A few more remarks which you may or may not want to know:
4817 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close
4818 Marks will not be set immediately, but only upon closing a group. This
4819 not only makes marks propagation faster, it also avoids problems with
4820 dangling symlinks when dealing with maildir files (since changing flags
4821 will change the file name). You can also control when to propagate marks
4822 via @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} (see the doc-string for
4825 Obviously, @code{nnmairix} will have to look up the original group for every
4826 article you want to set marks for. If available, @code{nnmairix} will first use
4827 the registry for determining the original group. The registry is very
4828 fast, hence you should really, really enable the registry when using
4829 marks propagation. If you don't have to worry about RAM and disc space,
4830 set @code{gnus-registry-max-entries} to a large enough value; to be on
4831 the safe side, choose roughly the amount of mails you index with mairix.
4833 @vindex nnmairix-only-use-registry
4834 If you don't want to use the registry or the registry hasn't seen the
4835 original article yet, @code{nnmairix} will use an additional mairix
4836 search for determining the file name of the article. This, of course, is
4837 way slower than the registry---if you set hundreds or even thousands of
4838 marks this way, it might take some time. You can avoid this situation by
4839 setting @code{nnmairix-only-use-registry} to t.
4841 Maybe you also want to propagate marks the other way round, i.e. if you
4842 tick an article in a "real" mail group, you'd like to have the same
4843 article in a @code{nnmairix} group ticked, too. For several good
4844 reasons, this can only be done efficiently if you use maildir. To
4845 immediately contradict myself, let me mention that it WON'T work with
4846 @code{nnmaildir}, since @code{nnmaildir} stores the marks externally and
4847 not in the file name. Therefore, propagating marks to @code{nnmairix}
4848 groups will usually only work if you use an IMAP server which uses
4849 maildir as its file format.
4851 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups
4852 If you work with this setup, just set
4853 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t} and see what
4854 happens. If you don't like what you see, just set it to @code{nil} again. One
4855 problem might be that you get a wrong number of unread articles; this
4856 usually happens when you delete or expire articles in the original
4857 groups. When this happens, you can recreate the @code{nnmairix} group on the
4858 back end using @kbd{G b d}.
4860 @node nnmairix tips and tricks
4861 @subsubsection nnmairix tips and tricks
4867 @findex nnmairix-update-groups
4868 I put all my important mail groups at group level 1. The mairix groups
4869 have group level 5, so they do not get checked at start up (@pxref{Group
4872 I use the following to check for mails:
4875 (defun my-check-mail-mairix-update (level)
4877 ;; if no prefix given, set level=1
4878 (gnus-group-get-new-news (or level 1))
4879 (nnmairix-update-groups "mairixsearch" t t)
4880 (gnus-group-list-groups))
4882 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'my-check-mail-mairix-update)
4885 Instead of @samp{"mairixsearch"} use the name of your @code{nnmairix}
4886 server. See the doc string for @code{nnmairix-update-groups} for
4890 Example: search group for ticked articles
4892 For example, you can create a group for all ticked articles, where the
4893 articles always stay unread:
4895 Hit @kbd{G b g}, enter group name (e.g. @samp{important}), use
4896 @samp{F:f} as query and do not include threads.
4898 Now activate marks propagation for this group by using @kbd{G b p}. Then
4899 activate the always-unread feature by using @kbd{G b r} twice.
4901 So far so good---but how do you remove the tick marks in the @code{nnmairix}
4902 group? There are two options: You may simply use
4903 @code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article} (bound to @kbd{$ u}) to remove
4904 tick marks from the original article. The other possibility is to set
4905 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t}, but see the above
4906 comments about this option. If it works for you, the tick marks should
4907 also exist in the @code{nnmairix} group and you can remove them as usual,
4908 e.g. by marking an article as read.
4910 When you have removed a tick mark from the original article, this
4911 article should vanish from the @code{nnmairix} group after you have updated the
4912 mairix database and updated the group. Fortunately, there is a function
4913 for doing exactly that: @code{nnmairix-update-groups}. See the previous code
4914 snippet and the doc string for details.
4917 Dealing with auto-subscription of mail groups
4919 As described before, all @code{nnmairix} groups are in fact stored on
4920 the mail back end in the form @samp{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can
4921 see them when you enter the back end server in the server buffer. You
4922 should not subscribe these groups! Unfortunately, these groups will
4923 usually get @emph{auto-subscribed} when you use @code{nnmaildir} or
4924 @code{nnml}, i.e. you will suddenly see groups of the form
4925 @samp{zz_mairix*} pop up in your group buffer. If this happens to you,
4926 simply kill these groups with C-k. For avoiding this, turn off
4927 auto-subscription completely by setting the variable
4928 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups} to @code{nil} (@pxref{Filtering New
4929 Groups}), or if you like to keep this feature use the following kludge
4930 for turning it off for all groups beginning with @samp{zz_}:
4933 (setq gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
4934 "^\\(nnml\\|nnfolder\\|nnmbox\\|nnmh\\|nnbabyl\\|nnmaildir\\).*:\\([^z]\\|z$\\|\\z[^z]\\|zz$\\|zz[^_]\\|zz_$\\).*")
4939 @node nnmairix caveats
4940 @subsubsection nnmairix caveats
4944 You can create a secondary @code{nnml} server just for nnmairix, but then
4945 you have to explicitly set the corresponding server variable
4946 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}. Otherwise, new mail might get
4947 put into this secondary server (and would never show up again). Here's
4948 an example server definition:
4951 (nnml "mairix" (nnml-directory "mairix") (nnml-get-new-mail nil))
4954 (The @code{nnmaildir} back end also has a server variabe
4955 @code{get-new-mail}, but its default value is @code{nil}, so you don't
4956 have to explicitly set it if you use a @code{nnmaildir} server just for
4960 If you use the Gnus registry: don't use the registry with
4961 @code{nnmairix} groups (put them in
4962 @code{gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups}). Be @emph{extra careful} if
4963 you use @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}; mails which are
4964 split into @code{nnmairix} groups are usually gone for good as soon as
4965 you check the group for new mail (yes, it has happened to me...).
4968 Therefore: @emph{Never ever} put ``real'' mails into @code{nnmairix}
4969 groups (you shouldn't be able to, anyway).
4972 If you use the Gnus agent (@pxref{Gnus Unplugged}): don't agentize
4973 @code{nnmairix} groups (though I have no idea what happens if you do).
4976 mairix does only support us-ascii characters.
4979 @code{nnmairix} uses a rather brute force method to force Gnus to
4980 completely reread the group on the mail back end after mairix was
4981 called---it simply deletes and re-creates the group on the mail
4982 back end. So far, this has worked for me without any problems, and I
4983 don't see how @code{nnmairix} could delete other mail groups than its
4984 own, but anyway: you really should have a backup of your mail
4988 All necessary information is stored in the group parameters
4989 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). This has the advantage that no active file
4990 is needed, but also implies that when you kill a @code{nnmairix} group,
4991 it is gone for good.
4994 @findex nnmairix-purge-old-groups
4995 If you create and kill a lot of @code{nnmairix} groups, the
4996 ``zz_mairix-*'' groups will accumulate on the mail back end server. To
4997 delete old groups which are no longer needed, call
4998 @code{nnmairix-purge-old-groups}. Note that this assumes that you don't
4999 save any ``real'' mail in folders of the form
5000 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can change the prefix of
5001 @code{nnmairix} groups by changing the variable
5002 @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
5005 The following only applies if you @emph{don't} use the mentioned patch
5006 for mairix (@pxref{Propagating marks}):
5008 A problem can occur when using @code{nnmairix} with maildir folders and
5009 comes with the fact that maildir stores mail flags like @samp{Seen} or
5010 @samp{Replied} by appending chars @samp{S} and @samp{R} to the message
5011 file name, respectively. This implies that currently you would have to
5012 update the mairix database not only when new mail arrives, but also when
5013 mail flags are changing. The same applies to new mails which are indexed
5014 while they are still in the @samp{new} folder but then get moved to
5015 @samp{cur} when Gnus has seen the mail. If you don't update the database
5016 after this has happened, a mairix query can lead to symlinks pointing to
5017 non-existing files. In Gnus, these messages will usually appear with
5018 ``(none)'' entries in the header and can't be accessed. If this happens
5019 to you, using @kbd{G b u} and updating the group will usually fix this.
5023 @node Misc Group Stuff
5024 @section Misc Group Stuff
5027 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
5028 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
5029 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
5030 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
5031 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
5038 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
5039 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
5040 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
5043 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
5046 (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
5049 On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
5050 @xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
5054 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
5055 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
5056 @xref{Server Buffer}.
5060 @findex gnus-group-post-news
5061 Start composing a message (a news by default)
5062 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
5063 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5064 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
5065 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
5066 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
5070 @findex gnus-group-mail
5071 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
5072 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
5073 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5074 @xref{Composing Messages}.
5078 @findex gnus-group-news
5079 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
5080 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
5081 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
5083 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5084 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5085 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5086 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5087 for this to work though.
5091 @findex gnus-group-compact-group
5093 Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
5094 Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
5095 gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
5100 Variables for the group buffer:
5104 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
5105 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
5106 is called after the group buffer has been
5109 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
5110 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
5111 is called after the group buffer is
5112 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
5115 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
5116 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
5117 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
5118 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
5120 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
5121 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
5122 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
5123 whether they are empty or not.
5127 @node Scanning New Messages
5128 @subsection Scanning New Messages
5129 @cindex new messages
5130 @cindex scanning new news
5136 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
5137 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
5138 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
5139 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
5140 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
5141 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
5146 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
5147 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
5148 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
5149 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
5150 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
5151 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
5152 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
5154 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
5155 @cindex activating groups
5157 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
5158 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
5163 @findex gnus-group-restart
5164 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
5165 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
5166 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
5170 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
5171 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
5173 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
5174 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
5178 @node Group Information
5179 @subsection Group Information
5180 @cindex group information
5181 @cindex information on groups
5188 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
5189 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
5192 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
5193 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
5194 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
5195 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
5196 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
5197 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
5198 used for fetching the file.
5200 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
5201 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
5205 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
5206 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
5207 @cindex control message
5208 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
5209 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
5210 group if given a prefix argument.
5212 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
5213 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
5214 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
5215 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
5217 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
5218 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
5219 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
5223 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
5225 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
5226 @cindex describing groups
5227 @cindex group description
5228 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
5229 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
5230 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
5234 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
5235 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
5236 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
5243 @findex gnus-version
5244 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
5248 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
5249 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
5252 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
5255 @findex gnus-info-find-node
5256 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
5260 @node Group Timestamp
5261 @subsection Group Timestamp
5263 @cindex group timestamps
5265 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
5266 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
5267 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
5270 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
5273 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
5275 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
5276 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
5279 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5280 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
5283 This will result in lines looking like:
5286 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
5287 0: custom 19961002T012713
5290 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
5291 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
5295 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5296 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
5299 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
5300 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
5304 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5305 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
5306 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
5307 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
5309 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
5315 @subsection File Commands
5316 @cindex file commands
5322 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
5323 @vindex gnus-init-file
5324 @cindex reading init file
5325 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
5326 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
5330 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
5331 @cindex saving .newsrc
5332 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
5333 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
5334 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
5337 @c @kindex Z (Group)
5338 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
5339 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
5344 @node Sieve Commands
5345 @subsection Sieve Commands
5346 @cindex group sieve commands
5348 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
5349 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
5350 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
5351 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
5352 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
5354 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5355 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
5356 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
5357 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
5358 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
5359 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
5360 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
5361 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
5362 regenerate the Sieve script.
5364 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
5365 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
5366 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
5367 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
5368 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
5369 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
5370 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
5371 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
5372 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
5373 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
5376 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
5377 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
5382 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
5388 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
5389 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5390 @cindex generating sieve script
5391 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
5392 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
5396 @findex gnus-sieve-update
5397 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5398 @cindex updating sieve script
5399 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
5400 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
5401 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
5406 @node Summary Buffer
5407 @chapter Summary Buffer
5408 @cindex summary buffer
5410 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
5411 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
5413 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
5414 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
5416 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
5418 You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
5419 customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
5423 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
5424 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
5425 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
5427 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
5431 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
5432 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
5433 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
5434 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
5435 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
5436 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
5437 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
5438 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
5439 * Threading:: How threads are made.
5440 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
5441 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
5442 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
5443 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
5444 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
5445 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
5446 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
5447 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
5448 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
5449 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
5450 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
5451 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
5452 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
5453 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
5454 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
5455 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
5456 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
5457 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
5458 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
5459 or reselecting the current group.
5460 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
5461 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
5462 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
5463 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
5467 @node Summary Buffer Format
5468 @section Summary Buffer Format
5469 @cindex summary buffer format
5473 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
5474 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
5475 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
5481 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
5482 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
5483 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
5484 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
5487 @findex mail-extract-address-components
5488 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
5489 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
5490 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
5491 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
5492 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
5493 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
5494 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
5495 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
5496 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
5497 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
5500 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
5501 'mail-extract-address-components)
5504 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
5505 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
5506 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
5507 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
5510 @node Summary Buffer Lines
5511 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
5513 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5514 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
5515 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
5516 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
5517 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
5519 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
5520 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
5521 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
5522 possible to change this. Just write a new function
5523 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
5524 @xref{Positioning Point}.
5526 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
5528 The following format specification characters and extended format
5529 specification(s) are understood:
5535 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
5536 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
5538 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
5539 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
5540 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
5542 Full @code{From} header.
5544 The name (from the @code{From} header).
5546 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
5549 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
5550 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
5551 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
5552 may be more thorough.
5554 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
5557 Number of lines in the article.
5559 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
5560 in some methods (like nnfolder).
5562 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
5563 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
5565 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
5567 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
5568 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
5581 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
5582 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
5583 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
5584 line-drawing glyphs.
5586 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
5587 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
5588 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
5589 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
5591 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
5592 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
5593 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
5594 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
5596 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
5597 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
5598 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
5599 instead. The default is @samp{}.
5601 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
5602 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
5603 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
5605 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
5606 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
5607 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
5609 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
5610 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
5611 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
5613 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
5614 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
5615 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
5620 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
5621 pushes everything after it off the screen).
5623 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
5624 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
5626 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
5627 for adopted articles.
5629 One space for each thread level.
5631 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
5633 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
5636 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
5637 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
5638 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
5641 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
5643 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
5644 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
5645 default level. If the difference between
5646 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
5647 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
5655 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
5657 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
5663 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
5664 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
5666 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
5667 article has any children.
5673 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
5675 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
5676 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
5678 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
5679 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
5680 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
5681 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
5682 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
5683 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
5686 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
5687 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
5688 There can only be one such area.
5690 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
5691 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
5692 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
5693 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
5694 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
5695 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
5697 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
5698 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
5700 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
5703 @node To From Newsgroups
5704 @subsection To From Newsgroups
5708 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
5709 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
5710 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
5711 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
5712 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
5716 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
5717 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
5718 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
5722 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5723 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
5726 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
5727 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
5730 @findex gnus-extra-header
5731 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
5732 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
5733 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
5736 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
5740 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5741 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
5742 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
5743 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
5744 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
5745 headers are used instead.
5747 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
5748 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
5749 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
5750 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
5751 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
5752 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
5756 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
5757 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
5758 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
5759 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
5760 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
5761 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
5764 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5765 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
5766 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
5767 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
5769 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
5773 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5775 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
5776 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
5777 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
5778 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5782 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
5785 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
5786 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
5789 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
5790 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
5791 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
5797 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
5798 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
5801 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
5802 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
5804 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
5805 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
5806 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
5807 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
5809 Here are the elements you can play with:
5815 Unprefixed group name.
5817 Current article number.
5819 Current article score.
5823 Number of unread articles in this group.
5825 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
5828 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
5829 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
5830 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
5831 and no unselected ones.
5833 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
5834 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
5836 Subject of the current article.
5838 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
5840 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
5842 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5844 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5846 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
5848 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
5852 @node Summary Highlighting
5853 @subsection Summary Highlighting
5857 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5858 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5859 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
5860 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
5861 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5863 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
5864 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
5865 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
5866 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5868 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
5869 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
5870 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
5871 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
5873 @item gnus-summary-highlight
5874 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
5875 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
5876 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
5877 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
5878 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
5881 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
5882 ((> score default) . bold))
5884 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
5885 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
5889 @node Summary Maneuvering
5890 @section Summary Maneuvering
5891 @cindex summary movement
5893 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
5894 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
5896 None of these commands select articles.
5901 @kindex M-n (Summary)
5902 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
5903 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
5904 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
5905 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
5909 @kindex M-p (Summary)
5910 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
5911 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
5912 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
5913 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
5916 @kindex G g (Summary)
5917 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5918 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5919 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5922 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5923 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5924 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5925 to the group buffer.
5927 Variables related to summary movement:
5931 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5932 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5933 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5934 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5935 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5936 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5937 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5938 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5939 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5940 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5941 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5942 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5943 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5944 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5946 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5947 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5948 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5949 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5950 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5951 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5952 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5954 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5956 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5957 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5958 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5959 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5960 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5962 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5963 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5964 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5965 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5966 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5967 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5968 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5969 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5972 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5973 the given number of lines from the top.
5975 @item gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5976 @vindex gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5977 If non-@code{nil}, don't go to the next article when hitting
5978 @kbd{SPC}, and you're at the end of the article.
5983 @node Choosing Articles
5984 @section Choosing Articles
5985 @cindex selecting articles
5988 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5989 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5993 @node Choosing Commands
5994 @subsection Choosing Commands
5996 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5997 and they all select and display an article.
5999 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
6000 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
6004 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
6005 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
6006 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
6007 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
6009 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
6010 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
6011 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
6016 @kindex G n (Summary)
6017 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
6018 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
6019 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
6024 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
6025 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
6026 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
6031 @kindex G N (Summary)
6032 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
6033 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
6038 @kindex G P (Summary)
6039 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
6040 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
6043 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
6044 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
6045 Go to the next article with the same subject
6046 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
6049 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
6050 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
6051 Go to the previous article with the same subject
6052 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
6056 @kindex G f (Summary)
6058 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
6059 Go to the first unread article
6060 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
6064 @kindex G b (Summary)
6066 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
6067 Go to the unread article with the highest score
6068 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
6069 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
6074 @kindex G l (Summary)
6075 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
6076 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
6079 @kindex G o (Summary)
6080 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
6082 @cindex article history
6083 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
6084 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
6085 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
6086 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
6087 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
6088 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
6093 @kindex G j (Summary)
6094 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
6095 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
6096 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
6101 @node Choosing Variables
6102 @subsection Choosing Variables
6104 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
6107 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
6108 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
6109 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
6110 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
6111 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
6112 the server and display it in the article buffer.
6114 @item gnus-select-article-hook
6115 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
6116 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
6117 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
6118 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
6121 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
6122 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
6123 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
6124 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
6125 @findex gnus-unread-mark
6126 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
6127 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
6128 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
6129 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
6130 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
6131 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
6132 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
6133 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
6134 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
6139 @node Paging the Article
6140 @section Scrolling the Article
6141 @cindex article scrolling
6146 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
6147 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
6148 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
6149 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
6150 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
6152 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
6153 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
6154 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
6155 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
6156 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
6157 what is considered uninteresting with
6158 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
6159 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
6162 @kindex DEL (Summary)
6163 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
6164 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
6167 @kindex RET (Summary)
6168 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
6169 Scroll the current article one line forward
6170 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
6173 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
6174 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
6175 Scroll the current article one line backward
6176 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
6180 @kindex A g (Summary)
6182 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
6183 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
6184 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
6185 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
6186 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
6187 the way it came from the server.
6189 @cindex charset, view article with different charset
6190 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
6191 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
6192 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
6195 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
6200 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
6205 @kindex A < (Summary)
6206 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
6207 Scroll to the beginning of the article
6208 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
6213 @kindex A > (Summary)
6214 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
6215 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
6219 @kindex A s (Summary)
6221 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
6222 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
6223 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
6227 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
6228 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
6233 @node Reply Followup and Post
6234 @section Reply, Followup and Post
6237 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
6238 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
6239 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
6240 * Canceling and Superseding::
6244 @node Summary Mail Commands
6245 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
6247 @cindex composing mail
6249 Commands for composing a mail message:
6255 @kindex S r (Summary)
6257 @findex gnus-summary-reply
6258 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
6259 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
6260 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
6261 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
6266 @kindex S R (Summary)
6267 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
6268 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
6269 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
6270 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
6271 command uses the process/prefix convention.
6274 @kindex S w (Summary)
6275 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
6276 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
6277 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
6278 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
6279 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
6280 present, that's used instead.
6283 @kindex S W (Summary)
6284 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
6285 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
6286 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
6287 the process/prefix convention, but only uses the headers from the
6288 first article to determine the recipients.
6291 @kindex S v (Summary)
6292 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
6293 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
6294 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
6295 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
6296 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
6297 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
6300 @kindex S V (Summary)
6301 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
6302 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
6303 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
6304 command uses the process/prefix convention.
6307 @kindex S B r (Summary)
6308 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
6309 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
6310 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
6311 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
6312 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
6313 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
6314 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
6317 @kindex S B R (Summary)
6318 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
6319 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
6320 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
6321 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
6325 @kindex S o m (Summary)
6326 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
6327 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
6328 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
6329 Forward the current article to some other person
6330 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
6331 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
6332 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
6333 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
6334 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
6335 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
6336 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
6337 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
6338 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
6344 @kindex S m (Summary)
6345 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
6346 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
6347 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
6348 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
6349 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
6352 @kindex S i (Summary)
6353 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
6354 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
6355 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
6356 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
6358 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
6359 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
6360 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
6361 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
6362 for this to work though.
6365 @kindex S D b (Summary)
6366 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
6367 @cindex bouncing mail
6368 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
6369 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
6370 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
6371 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
6372 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
6373 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
6374 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
6375 very well fail, though.
6378 @kindex S D r (Summary)
6379 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
6380 Not to be confused with the previous command,
6381 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
6382 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
6383 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
6384 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
6385 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
6386 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
6387 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
6389 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
6390 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
6391 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
6392 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
6393 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
6395 This command understands the process/prefix convention
6396 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6399 @kindex S D e (Summary)
6400 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
6402 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
6403 if it were a new message before resending.
6406 @kindex S O m (Summary)
6407 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
6408 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
6409 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
6410 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6413 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
6414 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
6415 @cindex crossposting
6416 @cindex excessive crossposting
6417 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
6418 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
6420 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
6421 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
6422 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
6423 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
6424 command understands the process/prefix convention
6425 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
6429 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
6430 Manual}, for more information.
6433 @node Summary Post Commands
6434 @subsection Summary Post Commands
6436 @cindex composing news
6438 Commands for posting a news article:
6444 @kindex S p (Summary)
6445 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
6446 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
6447 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
6448 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
6449 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
6454 @kindex S f (Summary)
6455 @findex gnus-summary-followup
6456 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
6457 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
6461 @kindex S F (Summary)
6463 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
6464 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
6465 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
6466 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
6467 process/prefix convention.
6470 @kindex S n (Summary)
6471 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
6472 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
6473 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
6476 @kindex S N (Summary)
6477 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
6478 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
6479 message through mail and include the original message
6480 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
6481 the process/prefix convention.
6484 @kindex S o p (Summary)
6485 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
6486 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
6487 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
6488 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
6489 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
6490 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
6491 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
6492 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
6493 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
6494 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
6495 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
6496 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
6499 @kindex S O p (Summary)
6500 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
6502 @cindex making digests
6503 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
6504 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
6505 process/prefix convention.
6508 @kindex S u (Summary)
6509 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
6510 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
6511 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
6512 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
6515 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
6516 Manual}, for more information.
6519 @node Summary Message Commands
6520 @subsection Summary Message Commands
6524 @kindex S y (Summary)
6525 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
6526 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
6527 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
6528 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
6529 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6534 @node Canceling and Superseding
6535 @subsection Canceling Articles
6536 @cindex canceling articles
6537 @cindex superseding articles
6539 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
6540 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
6542 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
6544 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
6546 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
6547 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
6548 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
6549 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
6550 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
6551 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6553 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
6554 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
6557 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
6558 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
6559 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
6561 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
6562 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
6563 message, Message Manual}).
6565 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
6566 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
6567 your original article.
6569 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
6571 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
6572 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
6573 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
6576 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
6577 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
6578 have posted almost the same article twice.
6580 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
6581 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
6582 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
6583 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
6584 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
6585 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
6586 header by substituting one of those words for the word
6587 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
6588 you would do normally. The previous article will be
6589 canceled/superseded.
6591 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
6593 @node Delayed Articles
6594 @section Delayed Articles
6595 @cindex delayed sending
6596 @cindex send delayed
6598 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
6599 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
6600 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
6601 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
6604 (gnus-delay-initialize)
6607 @findex gnus-delay-article
6608 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
6609 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
6610 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
6611 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
6615 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
6616 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
6617 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
6618 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
6621 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
6622 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
6623 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
6626 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
6627 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
6628 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
6629 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
6630 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
6631 that means a time tomorrow.
6634 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
6635 couple of variables:
6638 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
6639 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
6640 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
6641 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
6643 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
6644 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
6645 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
6646 formats described above.
6648 @item gnus-delay-group
6649 @vindex gnus-delay-group
6650 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
6651 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
6652 value is @code{"delayed"}.
6654 @item gnus-delay-header
6655 @vindex gnus-delay-header
6656 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
6657 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
6658 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
6661 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
6662 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
6663 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
6664 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
6665 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
6667 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
6668 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
6669 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
6670 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
6671 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
6672 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
6673 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
6676 @item gnus-delay-initialize
6677 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
6678 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
6679 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
6680 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
6681 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
6682 argument is ignored.
6684 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
6685 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
6686 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
6689 When delaying an article with @kbd{C-c C-j}, Message mode will
6690 automatically add a @code{"Date"} header with the current time. In
6691 many cases you probably want the @code{"Date"} header to reflect the
6692 time the message is sent instead. To do this, you have to delete
6693 @code{Date} from @code{message-draft-headers}.
6696 @node Marking Articles
6697 @section Marking Articles
6698 @cindex article marking
6699 @cindex article ticking
6702 There are several marks you can set on an article.
6704 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
6705 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
6706 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
6708 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
6711 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
6715 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
6716 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
6717 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
6718 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
6719 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
6720 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
6724 @node Unread Articles
6725 @subsection Unread Articles
6727 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
6732 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
6733 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
6735 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
6736 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
6737 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
6738 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
6739 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
6740 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
6741 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
6744 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
6745 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
6747 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
6748 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
6749 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
6750 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
6754 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
6755 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
6757 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
6762 @subsection Read Articles
6763 @cindex expirable mark
6765 All the following marks mark articles as read.
6770 @vindex gnus-del-mark
6771 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
6772 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
6775 @vindex gnus-read-mark
6776 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
6779 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
6780 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
6781 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
6784 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
6785 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
6788 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
6789 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
6792 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
6793 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
6796 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
6797 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
6800 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
6801 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
6804 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
6805 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
6809 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
6810 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
6811 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6815 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
6816 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
6818 One more special mark, though:
6822 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
6823 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
6825 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
6826 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
6827 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
6828 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
6834 @subsection Other Marks
6835 @cindex process mark
6838 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
6844 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
6845 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
6846 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
6847 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
6848 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
6851 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
6852 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
6853 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
6854 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
6857 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
6858 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
6859 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
6862 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
6863 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
6864 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6867 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
6868 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
6869 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
6870 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
6873 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
6874 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
6875 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
6876 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
6877 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
6878 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
6881 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
6882 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
6883 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
6884 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
6887 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
6888 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
6889 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
6890 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
6891 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
6895 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
6896 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
6897 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
6898 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
6899 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
6900 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
6903 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
6904 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
6905 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
6906 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
6907 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
6908 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
6912 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
6913 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
6914 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
6915 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
6916 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
6919 @vindex gnus-process-mark
6920 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
6921 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
6922 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
6923 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
6924 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6928 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6929 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6930 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6932 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6933 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6934 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6938 @subsection Setting Marks
6939 @cindex setting marks
6941 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6946 @kindex M c (Summary)
6947 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6948 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6949 @cindex mark as unread
6950 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6951 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6957 @kindex M t (Summary)
6958 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6959 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6960 @xref{Article Caching}.
6965 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6966 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6967 Mark the current article as dormant
6968 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6972 @kindex M d (Summary)
6974 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6975 Mark the current article as read
6976 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6980 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6981 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6982 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6987 @kindex M k (Summary)
6988 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6989 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6990 and then select the next unread article
6991 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6995 @kindex M K (Summary)
6996 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6997 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6998 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6999 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
7002 @kindex M C (Summary)
7003 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
7004 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
7005 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
7008 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
7009 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
7010 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
7011 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
7014 @kindex M H (Summary)
7015 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
7016 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
7017 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
7020 @kindex M h (Summary)
7021 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
7022 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
7023 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
7026 @kindex C-w (Summary)
7027 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
7028 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
7029 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
7032 @kindex M V k (Summary)
7033 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
7034 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
7035 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
7039 @kindex M e (Summary)
7041 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
7042 Mark the current article as expirable
7043 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
7046 @kindex M b (Summary)
7047 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
7048 Set a bookmark in the current article
7049 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
7052 @kindex M B (Summary)
7053 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
7054 Remove the bookmark from the current article
7055 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
7058 @kindex M V c (Summary)
7059 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
7060 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
7061 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
7064 @kindex M V u (Summary)
7065 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
7066 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
7067 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
7070 @kindex M V m (Summary)
7071 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
7072 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
7073 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
7074 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
7077 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
7078 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
7079 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
7080 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
7081 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
7082 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
7083 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
7084 The default is @code{t}.
7087 @node Generic Marking Commands
7088 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
7090 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
7091 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
7092 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
7093 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
7094 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
7097 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
7098 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
7101 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
7102 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
7103 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
7104 to list in this manual.
7106 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
7107 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
7108 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
7109 article, you could say something like:
7113 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
7114 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
7115 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
7123 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
7124 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
7128 @node Setting Process Marks
7129 @subsection Setting Process Marks
7130 @cindex setting process marks
7132 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
7133 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
7134 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
7135 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
7136 articles into the cache. For more information,
7137 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
7144 @kindex M P p (Summary)
7145 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
7146 Mark the current article with the process mark
7147 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
7148 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
7152 @kindex M P u (Summary)
7153 @kindex M-# (Summary)
7154 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
7155 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
7158 @kindex M P U (Summary)
7159 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
7160 Remove the process mark from all articles
7161 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
7164 @kindex M P i (Summary)
7165 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
7166 Invert the list of process marked articles
7167 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
7170 @kindex M P R (Summary)
7171 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
7172 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
7173 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
7176 @kindex M P G (Summary)
7177 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
7178 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
7179 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
7182 @kindex M P r (Summary)
7183 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
7184 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
7187 @kindex M P g (Summary)
7188 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
7189 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
7192 @kindex M P t (Summary)
7193 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7194 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
7195 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7198 @kindex M P T (Summary)
7199 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7200 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
7201 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7204 @kindex M P v (Summary)
7205 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
7206 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
7207 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
7210 @kindex M P s (Summary)
7211 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
7212 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
7215 @kindex M P S (Summary)
7216 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
7217 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
7218 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
7221 @kindex M P a (Summary)
7222 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
7223 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
7226 @kindex M P b (Summary)
7227 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
7228 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
7229 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
7232 @kindex M P k (Summary)
7233 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
7234 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
7235 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
7238 @kindex M P y (Summary)
7239 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
7240 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
7241 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
7244 @kindex M P w (Summary)
7245 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
7246 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
7247 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
7251 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
7252 set process marks based on article body contents.
7259 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
7260 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
7261 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
7264 Limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched from
7265 the servers. These commands don't query the server for additional
7272 @kindex / / (Summary)
7273 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
7274 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
7275 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
7279 @kindex / a (Summary)
7280 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
7281 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
7282 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
7286 @kindex / R (Summary)
7287 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
7288 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
7289 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
7293 @kindex / A (Summary)
7294 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-address
7295 Limit the summary buffer to articles in which contents of From, To or Cc
7296 header match a given address (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-address}). If
7297 given a prefix, exclude matching articles.
7300 @kindex / S (Summary)
7301 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons
7302 Limit the summary buffer to articles that aren't part of any displayed
7303 threads (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons}). If given a prefix,
7304 limit to articles that are part of displayed threads.
7307 @kindex / x (Summary)
7308 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
7309 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
7310 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
7311 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
7316 @kindex / u (Summary)
7318 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
7319 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
7320 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
7321 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
7322 dormant articles will also be excluded.
7325 @kindex / m (Summary)
7326 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
7327 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
7328 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
7331 @kindex / t (Summary)
7332 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
7333 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
7334 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
7335 articles younger than that number of days.
7338 @kindex / n (Summary)
7339 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
7340 With prefix @samp{n}, limit the summary buffer to the next @samp{n}
7341 articles. If not given a prefix, use the process marked articles
7342 instead. (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}).
7345 @kindex / w (Summary)
7346 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
7347 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
7348 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
7352 @kindex / . (Summary)
7353 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
7354 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
7355 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
7358 @kindex / v (Summary)
7359 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
7360 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
7361 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
7364 @kindex / p (Summary)
7365 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
7366 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
7367 group parameter predicate
7368 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
7369 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
7372 @kindex / r (Summary)
7373 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
7374 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
7375 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
7380 @kindex M S (Summary)
7381 @kindex / E (Summary)
7382 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
7383 Include all expunged articles in the limit
7384 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
7387 @kindex / D (Summary)
7388 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
7389 Include all dormant articles in the limit
7390 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
7393 @kindex / * (Summary)
7394 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
7395 Include all cached articles in the limit
7396 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
7399 @kindex / d (Summary)
7400 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
7401 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
7402 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
7405 @kindex / M (Summary)
7406 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
7407 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
7410 @kindex / T (Summary)
7411 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
7412 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
7415 @kindex / c (Summary)
7416 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
7417 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
7418 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
7421 @kindex / C (Summary)
7422 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
7423 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
7424 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
7425 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
7428 @kindex / b (Summary)
7429 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies
7430 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have bodies that match a
7431 certain regexp (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies}). If given a
7432 prefix, reverse the limit. This command is quite slow since it
7433 requires selecting each article to find the matches.
7436 @kindex / h (Summary)
7437 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-headers
7438 Like the previous command, only limit to headers instead
7439 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-headers}).
7444 The following commands aren't limiting commands, but use the @kbd{/}
7449 @kindex / N (Summary)
7450 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
7451 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
7452 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
7455 @kindex / o (Summary)
7456 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
7457 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
7458 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
7466 @cindex article threading
7468 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
7469 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
7470 hierarchical fashion.
7472 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
7473 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
7474 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
7475 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
7476 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
7477 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
7478 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
7480 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
7484 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
7487 A tree-like article structure.
7490 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
7493 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
7494 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
7495 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
7496 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
7497 called loose threads.
7499 @item thread gathering
7500 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
7502 @item sparse threads
7503 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
7504 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
7510 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
7511 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
7515 @node Customizing Threading
7516 @subsection Customizing Threading
7517 @cindex customizing threading
7520 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
7521 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
7522 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
7523 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
7528 @subsubsection Loose Threads
7531 @cindex loose threads
7534 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
7535 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
7536 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
7537 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
7538 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
7539 read or killed the root in a previous session.
7541 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
7542 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
7543 There are four possible values:
7547 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
7548 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
7549 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
7550 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
7551 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
7556 @cindex adopting articles
7561 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
7562 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
7563 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
7564 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
7567 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
7568 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
7569 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
7570 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
7571 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
7572 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
7573 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
7574 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7575 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
7576 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
7579 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
7580 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
7581 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
7585 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
7586 display them after one another.
7589 Don't gather loose threads.
7592 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
7593 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
7594 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
7595 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
7596 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
7597 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
7598 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
7599 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
7600 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
7601 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
7602 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
7604 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
7605 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
7606 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
7609 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
7610 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
7611 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
7612 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
7613 simplification is used.
7615 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7616 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7617 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
7618 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
7620 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
7622 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7628 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
7629 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
7630 "answer" "reference" "announce"
7631 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
7636 (mapconcat 'identity
7637 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
7639 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
7642 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
7645 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
7646 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
7647 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
7648 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
7649 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
7650 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
7652 Useful functions to put in this list include:
7655 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
7656 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
7657 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
7659 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
7660 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
7663 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
7664 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
7665 Remove excessive whitespace.
7667 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
7668 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
7669 Remove all whitespace.
7672 You may also write your own functions, of course.
7675 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
7676 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
7677 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
7678 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
7679 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
7680 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
7681 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
7682 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
7684 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7685 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7686 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
7687 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
7688 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
7689 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
7690 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
7691 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
7692 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
7696 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
7697 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
7698 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
7699 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
7701 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
7702 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
7703 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
7706 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
7710 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7711 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
7717 @node Filling In Threads
7718 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
7721 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
7722 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
7723 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
7724 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
7725 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
7726 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
7727 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
7728 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
7729 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
7730 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
7731 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
7732 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
7735 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
7736 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
7737 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
7739 The server has to support @acronym{NOV} for any of this to work.
7741 @cindex Gmane, gnus-fetch-old-headers
7742 This feature can seriously impact performance it ignores all locally
7743 cached header entries. Setting it to @code{t} for groups for a server
7744 that doesn't expire articles (such as news.gmane.org), leads to very
7745 slow summary generation.
7747 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7748 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7749 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
7752 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
7753 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
7754 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
7755 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
7756 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
7757 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
7758 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
7759 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
7760 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
7761 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
7762 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
7763 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
7764 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
7765 @code{nil} by default.
7767 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
7768 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
7769 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
7770 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
7771 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
7772 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
7775 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
7776 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
7777 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
7782 @node More Threading
7783 @subsubsection More Threading
7786 @item gnus-show-threads
7787 @vindex gnus-show-threads
7788 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
7789 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
7790 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
7791 slower and more awkward.
7793 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7794 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7795 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
7798 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
7799 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
7800 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
7805 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7806 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
7807 gnus-article-unseen-p))
7810 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
7811 unread, but you get my drift.)
7814 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
7815 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
7816 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
7817 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
7818 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
7819 threads are expunged.
7821 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
7822 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
7823 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
7826 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7827 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7828 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
7829 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
7830 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
7831 result in a new thread.
7833 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
7834 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
7835 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
7838 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7839 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7840 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
7841 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
7842 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
7843 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
7844 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
7845 Setting this variable to an alternate value
7846 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
7847 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
7848 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
7853 @node Low-Level Threading
7854 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
7858 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
7859 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
7860 Hook run before parsing any headers.
7862 @item gnus-alter-header-function
7863 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
7864 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
7865 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
7866 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
7867 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
7868 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
7869 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
7870 meaningful. Here's one example:
7873 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
7875 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
7876 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
7878 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
7880 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
7887 @node Thread Commands
7888 @subsection Thread Commands
7889 @cindex thread commands
7895 @kindex T k (Summary)
7896 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
7897 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
7898 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
7899 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
7900 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
7905 @kindex T l (Summary)
7906 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
7907 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
7908 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
7909 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
7912 @kindex T i (Summary)
7913 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
7914 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
7915 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
7918 @kindex T # (Summary)
7919 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7920 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
7921 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7924 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
7925 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7926 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
7927 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7930 @kindex T T (Summary)
7931 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
7932 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
7935 @kindex T s (Summary)
7936 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
7937 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
7938 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
7941 @kindex T h (Summary)
7942 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
7943 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
7946 @kindex T S (Summary)
7947 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
7948 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
7951 @kindex T H (Summary)
7952 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
7953 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
7956 @kindex T t (Summary)
7957 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
7958 Re-thread the current article's thread
7959 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
7960 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
7963 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
7964 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
7965 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
7966 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7969 @kindex T M-^ (Summary)
7970 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-children
7971 Make the current article the parent of the marked articles
7972 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-children}).
7976 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
7977 understand the numeric prefix.
7982 @kindex T n (Summary)
7984 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
7986 @kindex M-down (Summary)
7987 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
7988 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
7991 @kindex T p (Summary)
7993 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
7995 @kindex M-up (Summary)
7996 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
7997 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
8000 @kindex T d (Summary)
8001 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
8002 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
8005 @kindex T u (Summary)
8006 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
8007 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
8010 @kindex T o (Summary)
8011 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
8012 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
8015 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
8016 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
8017 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
8018 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
8019 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
8020 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
8021 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
8022 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
8023 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
8024 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
8025 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
8026 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
8030 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
8031 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
8033 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
8034 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
8035 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
8036 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
8037 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
8038 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
8039 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
8040 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
8041 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
8042 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
8043 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
8044 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
8045 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
8046 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
8047 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
8049 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
8050 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
8051 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
8052 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
8053 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date},
8054 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
8055 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
8056 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
8057 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
8058 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
8060 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
8061 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
8062 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
8064 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
8065 last function in the list. You should probably always include
8066 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
8067 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
8068 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
8069 ascending article order.
8071 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
8072 by number, you could do something like:
8075 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
8076 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
8077 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
8078 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
8081 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
8082 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
8083 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
8084 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
8085 which the articles arrived.
8087 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
8091 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
8092 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
8093 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
8096 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
8097 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
8098 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
8099 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
8102 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
8103 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
8104 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-date
8105 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
8106 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
8107 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
8108 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
8109 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
8110 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-number
8111 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
8112 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
8113 variable. It is very similar to the
8114 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
8115 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
8116 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
8117 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
8118 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
8119 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
8120 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
8122 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
8126 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
8127 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
8128 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
8131 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
8132 @xref{Group Parameters}.
8135 @node Asynchronous Fetching
8136 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
8137 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
8138 @cindex article pre-fetch
8141 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
8142 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
8143 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
8144 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
8145 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
8147 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
8148 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
8150 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
8151 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
8152 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
8153 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
8154 connection is blocked.
8156 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
8157 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
8158 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
8159 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
8161 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
8162 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
8163 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
8164 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
8167 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
8170 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
8171 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
8172 happen automatically.
8174 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
8175 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
8176 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
8177 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
8178 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
8179 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
8180 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
8182 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
8183 @findex gnus-async-unread-p
8184 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
8185 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
8186 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
8187 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
8188 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-unread-p}, which
8189 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
8190 article data structure as the only parameter.
8192 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
8193 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
8196 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
8197 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
8198 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
8199 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
8202 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
8205 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
8206 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
8207 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
8209 @vindex gnus-async-post-fetch-function
8210 @findex gnus-html-prefetch-images
8211 After an article has been prefetched, this
8212 @code{gnus-async-post-fetch-function} will be called. The buffer will
8213 be narrowed to the region of the article that was fetched. A useful
8214 value would be @code{gnus-html-prefetch-images}, which will prefetch
8215 and store images referenced in the article, so that you don't have to
8216 wait for them to be fetched when you read the article. This is useful
8217 for @acronym{HTML} messages that have external images.
8219 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
8220 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
8221 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
8222 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
8226 Remove articles when they are read.
8229 Remove articles when exiting the group.
8232 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
8234 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
8235 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
8236 @c from the next group.
8239 @node Article Caching
8240 @section Article Caching
8241 @cindex article caching
8244 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
8245 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
8246 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
8247 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
8248 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
8250 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
8252 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8253 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
8254 @vindex gnus-use-cache
8255 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
8256 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
8257 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
8258 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
8259 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
8261 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
8262 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
8263 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
8264 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
8265 as dormant, and don't worry.
8267 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
8269 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
8270 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
8271 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
8272 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
8273 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
8274 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
8275 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
8276 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
8277 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
8278 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
8280 @findex gnus-jog-cache
8281 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
8282 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
8283 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
8284 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
8285 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
8286 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
8287 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
8288 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
8289 not then be downloaded by this command.
8291 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
8292 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
8293 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
8294 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
8295 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
8296 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
8298 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
8299 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
8300 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
8301 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
8302 variables, the group is not cached.
8304 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
8305 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
8306 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
8307 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
8308 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
8309 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
8310 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
8311 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
8312 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
8315 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
8316 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
8317 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
8318 where, isn't that cool?
8320 @node Persistent Articles
8321 @section Persistent Articles
8322 @cindex persistent articles
8324 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
8325 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
8326 useful in my opinion.
8328 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
8329 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
8330 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
8331 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
8332 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
8333 the expiry going on at the news server.
8335 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
8336 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
8337 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
8343 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
8344 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
8347 @kindex M-* (Summary)
8348 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
8349 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
8350 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
8354 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
8356 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
8357 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
8358 interested in persistent articles:
8361 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
8364 @node Sticky Articles
8365 @section Sticky Articles
8366 @cindex sticky articles
8368 When you select an article the current article buffer will be reused
8369 according to the value of the variable
8370 @code{gnus-single-article-buffer}. If its value is non-@code{nil} (the
8371 default) all articles reuse the same article buffer. Else each group
8372 has its own article buffer.
8374 This implies that it's not possible to have more than one article buffer
8375 in a group at a time. But sometimes you might want to display all the
8376 latest emails from your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle and
8377 your 17 cousins to coordinate the next christmas party.
8379 That's where sticky articles come in handy. A sticky article buffer
8380 basically is a normal article buffer, but it won't be reused when you
8381 select another article. You can make an article sticky with:
8385 @kindex A S (Summary)
8386 @findex gnus-sticky-article
8387 Make the current article sticky. If a prefix arg is given, ask for a
8388 name for this sticky article buffer.
8391 To close a sticky article buffer you can use these commands:
8397 Puts this sticky article buffer at the end of the list of all buffers.
8401 @findex gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffer
8402 Kills this sticky article buffer.
8405 To kill all sticky article buffers you can use:
8407 @defun gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffers ARG
8408 Kill all sticky article buffers.
8409 If a prefix ARG is given, ask for confirmation.
8412 @node Article Backlog
8413 @section Article Backlog
8415 @cindex article backlog
8417 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
8418 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
8419 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
8420 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
8421 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
8422 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
8423 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
8424 increase memory usage some.
8426 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
8427 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
8428 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
8429 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
8430 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
8431 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
8432 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
8434 The default value is 20.
8437 @node Saving Articles
8438 @section Saving Articles
8439 @cindex saving articles
8441 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
8442 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
8443 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
8444 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
8445 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
8447 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
8448 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
8449 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8451 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
8452 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
8453 unwanted headers before saving the article.
8455 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
8456 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
8457 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
8458 deleted before saving.
8464 @kindex O o (Summary)
8466 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
8467 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
8468 Save the current article using the default article saver
8469 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
8472 @kindex O m (Summary)
8473 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
8474 Save the current article in a Unix mail box (mbox) file
8475 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
8478 @kindex O r (Summary)
8479 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
8480 Save the current article in Rmail format
8481 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}). This is mbox since Emacs 23,
8482 Babyl in older versions.
8485 @kindex O f (Summary)
8486 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
8487 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
8488 Save the current article in plain file format
8489 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
8492 @kindex O F (Summary)
8493 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
8494 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
8495 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
8498 @kindex O b (Summary)
8499 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
8500 Save the current article body in plain file format
8501 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
8504 @kindex O h (Summary)
8505 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
8506 Save the current article in mh folder format
8507 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
8510 @kindex O v (Summary)
8511 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
8512 Save the current article in a VM folder
8513 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
8517 @kindex O p (Summary)
8519 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
8520 @vindex gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command
8521 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
8522 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
8523 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
8524 complete headers in the piped output. The symbolic prefix @code{r} is
8525 special; it lets this command pipe a raw article including all headers.
8526 The @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} variable can be set
8527 to a string containing the default command and options (default
8531 @kindex O P (Summary)
8532 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
8533 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
8534 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
8535 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
8536 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
8537 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
8538 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
8542 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
8543 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
8544 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
8545 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
8546 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
8547 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
8548 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
8549 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
8550 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
8551 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
8552 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
8553 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
8557 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
8558 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
8559 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the eight ready-made
8560 functions below, or you can create your own.
8564 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
8565 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
8566 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
8567 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
8568 This is the default format, that used by the Rmail package. Since Emacs
8569 23, Rmail uses standard mbox format. Before this, it used the
8570 @dfn{Babyl} format. Accordingly, this command writes mbox format since
8571 Emacs 23, unless appending to an existing Babyl file. In older versions
8572 of Emacs, it always uses Babyl format. Uses the function in the
8573 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8574 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
8576 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
8577 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
8578 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
8579 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
8580 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8581 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
8583 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
8584 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
8585 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
8586 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
8587 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
8588 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8589 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8591 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
8592 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
8593 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
8594 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
8595 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8596 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8598 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
8599 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
8600 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
8601 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8602 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8604 @item gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
8605 @findex gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
8606 Write the article body straight to an ordinary file. The file is
8607 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
8608 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8609 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8611 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
8612 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
8613 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
8614 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
8615 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
8618 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
8619 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
8620 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
8621 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
8622 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
8624 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
8625 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
8626 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
8627 reader to use this setting.
8629 @item gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
8630 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
8631 Pipe the article to a shell command. This function takes optional two
8632 arguments COMMAND and RAW. Valid values for COMMAND include:
8636 The executable command name and possibly arguments.
8638 You will be prompted for the command in the minibuffer.
8639 @item the symbol @code{default}@*
8640 It will be replaced with the command which the variable
8641 @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} holds or the command
8642 last used for saving.
8645 Non-@code{nil} value for RAW overrides @code{:decode} and
8646 @code{:headers} properties (see below) and the raw article including all
8647 headers will be piped.
8650 The symbol of each function may have the following properties:
8654 The value non-@code{nil} means save decoded articles. This is
8655 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-save-in-file},
8656 @code{gnus-summary-save-body-in-file},
8657 @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file},
8658 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}, and
8659 @code{gnus-summary-save-in-pipe}.
8662 The value specifies an alternative function which appends, not
8663 overwrites, articles to a file. This implies that when saving many
8664 articles at a time, @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} is bound to
8665 @code{t} and all articles are saved in a single file. This is
8666 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file} and
8667 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
8670 The value specifies the symbol of a variable of which the value
8671 specifies headers to be saved. If it is omitted,
8672 @code{gnus-save-all-headers} and @code{gnus-saved-headers} control what
8673 headers should be saved.
8676 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
8677 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
8678 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
8679 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
8682 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
8683 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
8684 available functions that generate names:
8688 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
8689 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
8690 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
8692 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
8693 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
8694 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
8696 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
8697 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
8698 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8700 @item gnus-plain-save-name
8701 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
8702 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8704 @item gnus-sender-save-name
8705 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
8706 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
8709 @vindex gnus-split-methods
8710 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
8711 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
8712 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
8713 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
8717 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
8718 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
8719 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
8720 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
8723 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
8724 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
8725 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
8726 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
8727 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
8728 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
8729 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
8730 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
8731 called returns a string or a list of strings.
8733 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
8734 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
8735 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
8736 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
8738 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
8739 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
8740 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
8743 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
8744 lots of mail groups called things like
8745 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
8746 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
8747 following will do just that:
8750 (defun my-save-name (group)
8751 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
8752 (substring group (match-end 0))))
8754 (setq gnus-split-methods
8755 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
8760 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8761 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
8762 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
8763 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
8764 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
8765 all the files in the top level directory
8766 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
8767 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
8768 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
8769 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
8771 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
8772 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
8773 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
8774 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
8775 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
8778 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
8782 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
8783 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
8784 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
8787 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
8788 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
8789 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
8790 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
8793 @node Decoding Articles
8794 @section Decoding Articles
8795 @cindex decoding articles
8797 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
8798 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
8801 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
8802 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
8803 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
8804 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
8805 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
8806 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
8810 @cindex article series
8811 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
8812 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
8813 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
8814 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
8815 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
8817 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
8818 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
8819 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
8821 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
8822 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
8823 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
8825 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
8826 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
8827 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
8830 @node Uuencoded Articles
8831 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
8833 @cindex uuencoded articles
8838 @kindex X u (Summary)
8839 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
8840 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
8841 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
8844 @kindex X U (Summary)
8845 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
8846 Uudecodes and saves the current series
8847 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8850 @kindex X v u (Summary)
8851 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
8852 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
8855 @kindex X v U (Summary)
8856 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
8857 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
8858 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
8862 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
8863 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
8864 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
8865 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
8866 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8868 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
8869 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
8870 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
8871 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
8874 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
8875 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
8876 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
8877 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
8878 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
8879 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
8883 @node Shell Archives
8884 @subsection Shell Archives
8886 @cindex shell archives
8887 @cindex shared articles
8889 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
8890 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
8891 some commands to deal with these:
8896 @kindex X s (Summary)
8897 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
8898 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
8901 @kindex X S (Summary)
8902 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
8903 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
8906 @kindex X v s (Summary)
8907 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
8908 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
8911 @kindex X v S (Summary)
8912 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
8913 Unshars, views and saves the current series
8914 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
8918 @node PostScript Files
8919 @subsection PostScript Files
8925 @kindex X p (Summary)
8926 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
8927 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
8930 @kindex X P (Summary)
8931 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
8932 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
8933 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
8936 @kindex X v p (Summary)
8937 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
8938 View the current PostScript series
8939 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
8942 @kindex X v P (Summary)
8943 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
8944 View and save the current PostScript series
8945 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
8950 @subsection Other Files
8954 @kindex X o (Summary)
8955 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
8956 Save the current series
8957 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
8960 @kindex X b (Summary)
8961 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
8962 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
8963 doesn't really work yet.
8966 @kindex X Y (Summary)
8967 @findex gnus-uu-decode-yenc
8968 yEnc-decode the current series and save it (@code{gnus-uu-decode-yenc}).
8972 @node Decoding Variables
8973 @subsection Decoding Variables
8975 Adjective, not verb.
8978 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
8979 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
8980 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
8984 @node Rule Variables
8985 @subsubsection Rule Variables
8986 @cindex rule variables
8988 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
8989 variables are of the form
8992 (list '(regexp1 command2)
8999 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9000 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9002 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
9003 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
9006 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9007 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
9010 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
9011 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
9012 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
9013 user and default view rules.
9015 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
9016 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
9017 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
9022 @node Other Decode Variables
9023 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
9026 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
9028 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
9029 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
9030 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
9031 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
9032 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
9036 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
9037 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
9040 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
9041 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
9042 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
9045 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
9046 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
9047 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
9048 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
9049 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
9052 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
9053 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
9054 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
9056 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
9057 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
9058 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
9059 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
9060 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
9063 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
9064 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
9065 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
9067 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
9068 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
9069 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
9070 looking for files to display.
9072 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
9073 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
9074 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
9077 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
9078 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
9079 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
9082 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
9083 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
9084 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
9087 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
9088 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
9089 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
9092 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
9093 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
9094 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
9095 decoded articles as unread.
9097 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
9098 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
9099 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
9100 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
9102 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
9103 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
9104 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
9106 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
9107 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
9109 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
9110 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
9111 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
9112 @code{metamail} for viewing.
9114 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
9115 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
9116 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
9117 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
9118 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
9119 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
9120 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
9121 simply dropped them.
9126 @node Uuencoding and Posting
9127 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
9131 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
9132 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
9133 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
9134 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
9135 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
9136 for you when you post the article.
9138 @item gnus-uu-post-length
9139 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
9140 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
9141 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
9143 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
9144 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
9145 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
9146 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
9147 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
9148 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
9149 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
9151 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
9152 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
9153 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
9154 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
9155 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
9156 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
9157 Default is @code{t}.
9163 @subsection Viewing Files
9164 @cindex viewing files
9165 @cindex pseudo-articles
9167 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
9168 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
9169 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
9170 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
9171 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
9172 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
9173 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
9175 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
9176 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
9177 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
9178 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
9180 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
9181 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
9182 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
9184 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
9185 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
9186 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
9187 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
9188 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
9190 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
9191 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
9192 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
9193 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
9194 a list of parameters to that command.
9196 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
9197 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
9198 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
9200 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
9201 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
9202 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
9205 @node Article Treatment
9206 @section Article Treatment
9208 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
9209 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
9210 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
9211 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
9212 these articles easier.
9215 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
9216 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
9217 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
9218 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
9219 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
9220 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
9221 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
9222 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
9223 * Article Display:: Display various stuff:
9224 X-Face, Picons, Gravatars, Smileys.
9225 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
9226 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
9230 @node Article Highlighting
9231 @subsection Article Highlighting
9232 @cindex highlighting
9234 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
9235 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
9240 @kindex W H a (Summary)
9241 @findex gnus-article-highlight
9242 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
9243 Do much highlighting of the current article
9244 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
9245 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
9248 @kindex W H h (Summary)
9249 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
9250 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
9251 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
9252 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
9253 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
9254 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
9255 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
9256 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
9257 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
9258 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
9259 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
9262 @kindex W H c (Summary)
9263 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
9264 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
9266 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
9269 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
9271 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
9272 If the article size in bytes is bigger than this variable (which is
9273 25000 by default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
9275 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
9276 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
9277 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
9279 @item gnus-cite-face-list
9280 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
9281 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
9282 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
9283 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
9284 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
9286 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
9287 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
9288 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
9290 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
9291 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
9292 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
9294 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
9295 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
9296 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
9297 that it's a citation.
9299 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
9300 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
9301 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
9303 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
9304 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
9305 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
9307 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
9308 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
9309 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
9310 cited text belonging to the attribution.
9312 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
9313 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
9314 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
9315 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
9316 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
9323 @kindex W H s (Summary)
9324 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9325 @vindex gnus-signature-face
9326 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
9327 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
9328 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
9329 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
9330 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
9335 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
9338 @node Article Fontisizing
9339 @subsection Article Fontisizing
9341 @cindex article emphasis
9343 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
9344 @kindex W e (Summary)
9345 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
9346 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
9347 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
9348 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
9350 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
9351 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
9352 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
9353 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
9354 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
9355 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
9356 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
9357 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
9361 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
9362 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
9363 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
9372 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
9373 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
9374 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
9375 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
9376 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
9377 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
9378 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
9379 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
9380 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
9381 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
9382 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
9383 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
9384 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
9386 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
9387 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
9388 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
9392 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
9395 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
9397 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
9398 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
9399 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
9400 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
9402 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
9405 @node Article Hiding
9406 @subsection Article Hiding
9407 @cindex article hiding
9409 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
9410 too much cruft in most articles.
9415 @kindex W W a (Summary)
9416 @findex gnus-article-hide
9417 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
9418 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
9419 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
9422 @kindex W W h (Summary)
9423 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
9424 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
9428 @kindex W W b (Summary)
9429 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9430 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
9431 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
9434 @kindex W W s (Summary)
9435 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
9436 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
9440 @kindex W W l (Summary)
9441 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
9442 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
9443 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
9444 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
9445 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
9446 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
9447 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
9451 @item gnus-list-identifiers
9452 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
9453 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
9454 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
9459 @kindex W W P (Summary)
9460 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
9461 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
9462 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
9465 @kindex W W B (Summary)
9466 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
9467 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
9468 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9471 @cindex stripping advertisements
9472 @cindex advertisements
9473 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
9474 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
9475 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
9476 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
9477 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
9478 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
9479 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
9480 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
9481 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
9482 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
9485 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
9486 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
9487 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
9491 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9492 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9493 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
9494 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
9495 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
9496 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
9497 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
9498 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
9499 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
9500 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
9501 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
9504 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
9505 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
9511 @kindex W W c (Summary)
9512 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
9513 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
9514 customizing the hiding:
9518 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
9519 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
9520 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
9521 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
9522 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
9523 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
9524 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
9529 Starting point of the hidden text.
9531 Ending point of the hidden text.
9533 Number of characters in the hidden region.
9535 Number of lines of hidden text.
9538 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
9539 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
9540 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
9541 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
9542 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
9547 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
9548 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
9550 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
9551 following two variables:
9554 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
9555 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
9556 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
9557 50), hide the cited text.
9559 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
9560 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
9561 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
9566 @kindex W W C (Summary)
9567 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
9568 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
9569 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
9570 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
9571 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
9575 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
9576 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
9577 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
9579 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
9580 citation customization.
9582 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
9586 @node Article Washing
9587 @subsection Article Washing
9589 @cindex article washing
9591 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
9592 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
9594 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
9595 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
9598 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
9599 articles by default.
9604 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
9605 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
9609 Force redisplaying of the current article
9610 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
9611 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
9612 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
9613 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
9616 @kindex W l (Summary)
9617 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
9618 Remove page breaks from the current article
9619 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
9623 @kindex W r (Summary)
9624 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
9625 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
9626 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
9627 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
9628 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
9629 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
9631 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
9632 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
9633 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
9634 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
9637 @kindex W m (Summary)
9638 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
9639 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
9642 @kindex W i (Summary)
9643 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
9644 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
9645 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
9646 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
9647 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
9648 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
9653 @kindex W t (Summary)
9655 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
9656 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
9657 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
9660 @kindex W v (Summary)
9661 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
9662 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
9663 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
9666 @kindex W o (Summary)
9667 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
9668 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
9671 @kindex W d (Summary)
9672 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
9673 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
9675 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
9677 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
9678 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
9679 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
9680 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
9683 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
9684 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
9685 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
9686 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
9689 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
9690 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
9691 @cindex Outlook Express
9692 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
9693 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
9694 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
9697 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
9698 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
9699 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
9700 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
9701 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
9702 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
9703 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
9704 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
9705 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
9706 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
9709 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
9710 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
9711 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
9712 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
9715 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
9716 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
9717 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
9718 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
9721 @kindex W w (Summary)
9722 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
9723 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
9725 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
9729 @kindex W Q (Summary)
9730 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
9731 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
9734 @kindex W C (Summary)
9735 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
9736 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
9737 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
9740 @kindex W c (Summary)
9741 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
9742 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
9743 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
9744 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
9745 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
9748 @kindex W q (Summary)
9749 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
9750 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
9751 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
9752 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
9753 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
9754 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
9755 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9756 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9757 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9760 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
9761 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
9762 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
9763 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
9764 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
9765 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9766 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9767 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9770 @kindex W Z (Summary)
9771 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
9772 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
9773 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
9774 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
9777 @kindex W A (Summary)
9778 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
9779 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
9780 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
9781 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
9782 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
9785 @kindex W u (Summary)
9786 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
9787 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
9788 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
9789 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
9790 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
9793 @kindex W h (Summary)
9794 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
9795 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
9796 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9797 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
9799 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
9800 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
9801 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
9803 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
9804 The default is to use the function specified by
9805 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
9806 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
9807 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
9808 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
9812 @item gnus-article-html
9813 Use Gnus rendered based on w3m.
9819 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
9821 @item w3m-standalone
9822 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
9825 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
9828 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
9831 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
9836 @kindex W b (Summary)
9837 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
9838 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
9839 @xref{Article Buttons}.
9842 @kindex W B (Summary)
9843 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
9844 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
9845 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
9848 @kindex W p (Summary)
9849 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
9850 Verify a signed control message
9851 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
9852 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
9853 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
9854 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
9855 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
9856 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
9859 @kindex W s (Summary)
9860 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
9861 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
9862 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
9863 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
9866 @kindex W a (Summary)
9867 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
9868 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
9869 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
9872 @kindex W E l (Summary)
9873 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
9874 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
9875 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
9878 @kindex W E m (Summary)
9879 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
9880 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
9881 lines with a single empty line.
9882 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
9885 @kindex W E t (Summary)
9886 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
9887 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
9888 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
9891 @kindex W E a (Summary)
9892 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
9893 Do all the three commands above
9894 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
9897 @kindex W E A (Summary)
9898 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
9899 Remove all blank lines
9900 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
9903 @kindex W E s (Summary)
9904 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
9905 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
9906 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
9909 @kindex W E e (Summary)
9910 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
9911 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
9912 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
9916 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
9919 @node Article Header
9920 @subsection Article Header
9922 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
9927 @kindex W G u (Summary)
9928 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
9929 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
9932 @kindex W G n (Summary)
9933 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
9934 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
9935 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
9938 @kindex W G f (Summary)
9939 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
9940 Fold all the message headers
9941 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
9944 @kindex W E w (Summary)
9945 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
9946 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
9947 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
9952 @node Article Buttons
9953 @subsection Article Buttons
9956 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
9957 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
9958 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
9959 button on these references.
9961 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9962 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
9963 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
9964 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
9965 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
9969 @item gnus-button-alist
9970 @vindex gnus-button-alist
9971 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
9974 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9980 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
9981 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
9982 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
9983 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
9984 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
9987 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
9988 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
9989 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
9992 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
9993 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
9994 avoid false matches. Often variables named
9995 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
9996 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
9998 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
10001 This function will be called when you click on this button.
10004 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
10005 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
10009 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
10012 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
10015 @item gnus-header-button-alist
10016 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
10017 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
10018 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
10019 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
10022 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
10025 @var{header} is a regular expression.
10028 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
10031 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
10032 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
10034 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
10036 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
10037 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
10038 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
10039 default values of the variables above.
10041 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
10043 @item gnus-button-man-handler
10044 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
10045 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
10046 argument with a string naming the man page.
10048 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
10050 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
10051 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
10052 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
10054 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
10055 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
10056 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
10057 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
10058 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
10059 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
10060 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
10061 @code{ask}, always query the user what to do. If it is a function, this
10062 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
10063 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
10064 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
10065 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
10067 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
10068 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
10069 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
10070 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
10071 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
10074 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
10075 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
10076 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
10077 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
10081 @item gnus-article-button-face
10082 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
10083 Face used on buttons.
10085 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
10086 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
10087 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
10091 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
10094 @node Article Button Levels
10095 @subsection Article button levels
10096 @cindex button levels
10097 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
10098 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
10099 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
10100 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
10101 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
10102 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
10103 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
10104 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
10107 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
10108 (setq gnus-parameters
10109 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
10110 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
10111 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
10116 @item gnus-button-browse-level
10117 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
10118 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
10119 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
10120 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
10121 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
10123 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
10124 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
10125 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
10126 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
10127 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
10128 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
10129 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
10130 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
10131 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
10132 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
10133 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
10134 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
10135 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
10137 @item gnus-button-man-level
10138 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
10139 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
10140 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
10142 @item gnus-button-message-level
10143 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
10144 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
10145 Related variables and functions include
10146 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
10147 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
10148 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
10149 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
10155 @subsection Article Date
10157 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
10158 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
10159 when the article was sent.
10164 @kindex W T u (Summary)
10165 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
10166 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
10167 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
10170 @kindex W T i (Summary)
10171 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
10173 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
10174 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
10177 @kindex W T l (Summary)
10178 @findex gnus-article-date-local
10179 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
10182 @kindex W T p (Summary)
10183 @findex gnus-article-date-english
10184 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
10185 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
10188 @kindex W T s (Summary)
10189 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
10190 @findex gnus-article-date-user
10191 @findex format-time-string
10192 Display the date using a user-defined format
10193 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
10194 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
10195 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
10196 for a list of possible format specs.
10199 @kindex W T e (Summary)
10200 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
10201 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
10202 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
10203 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
10204 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
10207 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
10210 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
10211 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
10212 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
10215 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
10216 into wonderful absurdities.
10218 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
10221 (gnus-start-date-timer)
10224 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
10225 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
10229 @kindex W T o (Summary)
10230 @findex gnus-article-date-original
10231 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
10232 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
10233 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
10234 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
10235 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
10239 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
10240 preferred format automatically.
10243 @node Article Display
10244 @subsection Article Display
10250 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
10251 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
10253 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
10254 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
10256 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
10257 headers (@pxref{Face}).
10259 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
10260 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
10262 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
10263 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
10265 Gravatars reside on-line and are fetched from
10266 @uref{http://www.gravatar.com/} (@pxref{Gravatars}).
10268 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
10269 they'll be removed.
10273 @kindex W D x (Summary)
10274 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
10275 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
10276 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
10279 @kindex W D d (Summary)
10280 @findex gnus-article-display-face
10281 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
10282 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
10285 @kindex W D s (Summary)
10286 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
10287 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
10290 @kindex W D f (Summary)
10291 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
10292 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
10295 @kindex W D m (Summary)
10296 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
10297 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
10298 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
10301 @kindex W D n (Summary)
10302 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
10303 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
10304 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
10307 @kindex W D g (Summary)
10308 @findex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
10309 Gravatarify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
10312 @kindex W D h (Summary)
10313 @findex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
10314 Gravatarify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
10315 (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
10318 @kindex W D D (Summary)
10319 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
10320 Remove all images from the article buffer
10321 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
10324 @kindex W D W (Summary)
10325 @findex gnus-html-show-images
10326 If you're reading an @acronym{HTML} article rendered with
10327 @code{gnus-article-html}, then you can insert any blocked images in
10328 the buffer with this command.
10329 (@code{gnus-html-show-images}).
10335 @node Article Signature
10336 @subsection Article Signature
10338 @cindex article signature
10340 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
10341 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
10342 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
10343 that says what is to be considered a signature is
10344 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
10345 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
10346 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
10347 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
10348 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
10351 (setq gnus-signature-separator
10352 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
10353 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
10354 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
10355 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
10356 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
10357 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
10358 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
10361 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
10364 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
10365 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
10366 signature when displaying articles.
10370 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
10373 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
10376 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
10377 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
10379 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
10380 in question is not a signature.
10383 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
10384 listed above. Here's an example:
10387 (setq gnus-signature-limit
10388 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
10391 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
10392 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
10393 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
10394 signature after all.
10397 @node Article Miscellanea
10398 @subsection Article Miscellanea
10402 @kindex A t (Summary)
10403 @findex gnus-article-babel
10404 Translate the article from one language to another
10405 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
10410 @node MIME Commands
10411 @section MIME Commands
10412 @cindex MIME decoding
10413 @cindex attachments
10414 @cindex viewing attachments
10416 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
10417 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
10422 @kindex b (Summary)
10423 @kindex K v (Summary)
10424 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
10427 @kindex K o (Summary)
10428 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
10431 @kindex K O (Summary)
10432 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
10433 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
10434 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
10437 @kindex K r (Summary)
10438 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
10441 @kindex K d (Summary)
10442 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
10446 @kindex K c (Summary)
10447 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
10450 @kindex K e (Summary)
10451 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
10454 @kindex K i (Summary)
10455 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
10458 @kindex K | (Summary)
10459 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
10462 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
10467 @kindex K H (Summary)
10468 @findex gnus-article-browse-html-article
10469 View @samp{text/html} parts of the current article with a WWW browser.
10470 Inline images embedded in a message using the @code{cid} scheme, as they
10471 are generally considered to be safe, will be processed properly. The
10472 message header is added to the beginning of every @acronym{HTML} part
10473 unless the prefix argument is given.
10475 Warning: Spammers use links to images (using the @code{http} scheme) in
10476 @acronym{HTML} articles to verify whether you have read the message. As
10477 this command passes the @acronym{HTML} content to the browser without
10478 eliminating these ``web bugs'' you should only use it for mails from
10481 If you always want to display @acronym{HTML} parts in the browser, set
10482 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} to @code{nil}.
10484 This command creates temporary files to pass @acronym{HTML} contents
10485 including images if any to the browser, and deletes them when exiting
10486 the group (if you want).
10489 @kindex K b (Summary)
10490 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
10491 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
10495 @kindex K m (Summary)
10496 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
10497 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
10498 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
10499 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
10500 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
10503 @kindex X m (Summary)
10504 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
10505 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
10506 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
10507 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10510 @kindex M-t (Summary)
10511 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
10512 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
10513 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
10516 @kindex W M w (Summary)
10517 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
10518 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
10519 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
10522 @kindex W M c (Summary)
10523 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
10524 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
10525 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
10527 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
10528 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
10529 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
10530 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
10531 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
10532 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10535 @kindex W M v (Summary)
10536 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
10537 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
10538 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
10542 Relevant variables:
10545 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
10546 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
10547 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10548 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
10551 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
10554 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
10558 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
10559 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
10560 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
10561 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
10562 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
10563 default is @code{t}.
10565 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
10566 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
10569 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
10570 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
10571 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
10572 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
10573 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}. Only
10574 single-part yEnc encoded attachments can be decoded. There's no support
10575 for encoding in Gnus.
10577 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
10578 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
10579 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10580 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
10581 displayed or this variable is overridden by
10582 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
10583 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
10584 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
10586 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
10587 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
10588 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10589 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
10590 displayed. This variable overrides
10591 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
10592 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
10595 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
10596 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
10597 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
10599 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
10600 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
10601 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
10602 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
10603 Emacs MIME Manual}).
10605 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
10606 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
10607 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
10608 default value is @code{nil}.
10610 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
10611 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
10612 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
10613 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
10614 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
10615 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
10616 save all jpegs into some directory).
10618 Here's an example function the does the latter:
10621 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
10622 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
10624 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
10625 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
10626 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
10627 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
10628 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
10631 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
10632 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
10633 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
10635 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
10636 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
10637 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
10639 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
10640 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
10641 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
10643 If displaying @samp{text/html} is discouraged, see
10644 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
10645 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
10646 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
10647 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
10649 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
10650 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
10651 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
10652 overrides @code{nil} values of
10653 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
10654 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
10656 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10657 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10658 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
10659 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
10661 Ready-made functions include@*
10662 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
10663 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
10664 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
10665 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
10666 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
10667 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
10668 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
10669 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
10670 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
10671 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
10672 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
10673 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
10675 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
10676 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
10678 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
10679 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
10680 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
10683 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10684 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
10685 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
10686 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
10690 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
10699 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
10700 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
10701 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
10702 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
10703 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
10704 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
10705 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
10707 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
10708 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
10709 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
10710 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
10712 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
10713 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
10714 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
10715 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
10716 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
10717 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
10718 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
10719 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
10720 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
10722 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
10723 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
10724 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
10725 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
10726 quoted-printable header encoding.
10728 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
10729 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
10730 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
10734 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
10737 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
10738 means encode all charsets),
10740 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
10741 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
10742 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
10749 @cindex coding system aliases
10750 @cindex preferred charset
10752 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
10753 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
10754 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
10756 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
10758 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
10759 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
10762 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
10763 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
10766 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
10767 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
10769 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
10772 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
10775 This will almost do the right thing.
10777 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
10781 (codepage-setup 1251)
10782 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
10786 @node Article Commands
10787 @section Article Commands
10794 @kindex A P (Summary)
10795 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
10796 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
10797 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
10798 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
10799 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
10800 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
10803 @vindex gnus-fetch-partial-articles
10804 @findex gnus-summary-show-complete-article
10805 If @code{gnus-fetch-partial-articles} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
10806 fetch partial articles, if the backend it fetches them from supports
10807 it. Currently only @code{nnimap} does. If you're looking at a
10808 partial article, and want to see the complete article instead, then
10809 the @kbd{A C} command (@code{gnus-summary-show-complete-article}) will
10815 @node Summary Sorting
10816 @section Summary Sorting
10817 @cindex summary sorting
10819 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
10820 can't really see why you'd want that.
10825 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10826 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
10827 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
10829 @item C-c C-s C-m C-n
10830 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10831 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number
10832 Sort by most recent article number
10833 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number}).
10836 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
10837 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
10838 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
10841 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
10842 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
10843 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
10846 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
10847 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
10848 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
10851 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
10852 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
10853 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
10855 @item C-c C-s C-m C-d
10856 @kindex C-c C-s C-m C-d (Summary)
10857 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date
10858 Sort by most recent date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date}).
10861 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
10862 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
10863 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
10866 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
10867 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
10868 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
10871 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
10872 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
10873 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
10876 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
10877 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
10878 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
10881 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
10882 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
10883 Sort using the default sorting method
10884 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
10887 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
10888 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
10889 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
10890 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
10891 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
10894 If a prefix argument if given, the sort order is reversed.
10897 @node Finding the Parent
10898 @section Finding the Parent
10899 @cindex parent articles
10900 @cindex referring articles
10904 @kindex ^ (Summary)
10905 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
10906 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
10907 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
10908 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
10909 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
10910 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
10911 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
10912 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
10913 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
10915 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
10916 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
10917 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
10918 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
10919 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
10922 @item A R (Summary)
10923 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
10924 @kindex A R (Summary)
10925 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
10926 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
10928 @item A T (Summary)
10929 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
10930 @kindex A T (Summary)
10931 Display the full thread where the current article appears
10932 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
10933 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
10934 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
10935 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
10936 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
10937 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
10939 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
10940 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
10941 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
10942 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
10943 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
10944 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
10946 @item M-^ (Summary)
10947 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
10948 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
10950 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
10951 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
10952 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
10953 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
10954 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
10955 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
10957 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
10958 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
10959 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
10962 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
10963 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
10964 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
10965 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
10966 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
10967 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
10970 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
10971 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
10972 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
10975 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
10976 then ask Google if that fails:
10979 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
10981 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
10984 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
10985 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
10986 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
10987 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
10988 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
10989 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
10990 not support this at all.
10993 @node Alternative Approaches
10994 @section Alternative Approaches
10996 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
10997 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
11000 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
11001 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
11005 @node Pick and Read
11006 @subsection Pick and Read
11007 @cindex pick and read
11009 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
11010 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
11011 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
11012 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
11014 @findex gnus-pick-mode
11015 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
11016 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
11017 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
11018 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
11019 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
11021 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
11026 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
11027 Pick the article or thread on the current line
11028 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
11029 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
11030 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
11031 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
11032 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
11033 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
11036 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
11037 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
11038 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
11039 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
11043 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
11044 Unpick the thread or article
11045 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
11046 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
11047 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
11048 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
11049 the thread or article at that line.
11053 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
11054 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
11055 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
11056 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
11057 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
11058 will still be visible when you are reading.
11062 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
11063 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
11064 which is mapped to the same function
11065 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
11067 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
11070 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
11073 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
11074 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
11076 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
11077 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
11078 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
11080 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
11081 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
11082 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
11083 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
11084 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
11085 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
11086 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
11089 @node Binary Groups
11090 @subsection Binary Groups
11091 @cindex binary groups
11093 @findex gnus-binary-mode
11094 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
11095 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
11096 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
11097 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
11098 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
11099 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
11102 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
11103 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
11104 command, when you have turned on this mode
11105 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
11107 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
11108 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
11112 @section Tree Display
11115 @vindex gnus-use-trees
11116 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
11117 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
11118 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
11119 in the tree buffer.
11121 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
11124 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
11125 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
11126 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
11128 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
11129 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
11130 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
11131 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
11132 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
11134 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
11135 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
11136 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
11137 default is @code{modeline}.
11139 @item gnus-tree-line-format
11140 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
11141 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
11142 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
11143 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
11144 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
11145 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
11151 The name of the poster.
11153 The @code{From} header.
11155 The number of the article.
11157 The opening bracket.
11159 The closing bracket.
11164 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
11166 Variables related to the display are:
11169 @item gnus-tree-brackets
11170 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
11171 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
11172 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
11174 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
11175 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
11176 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
11178 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
11180 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
11181 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
11182 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
11183 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
11187 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
11188 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
11189 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
11190 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
11191 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
11192 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
11193 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
11194 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
11195 other windows displayed next to it.
11197 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
11201 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
11202 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
11205 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
11206 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
11207 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
11208 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
11209 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
11210 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
11211 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
11215 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
11218 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
11228 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
11233 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
11234 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
11236 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
11238 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
11244 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
11245 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
11246 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11249 (setq gnus-use-trees t
11250 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
11251 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
11252 (gnus-add-configuration
11256 (summary 0.75 point)
11261 @xref{Window Layout}.
11264 @node Mail Group Commands
11265 @section Mail Group Commands
11266 @cindex mail group commands
11268 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
11269 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
11271 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
11272 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11277 @kindex B e (Summary)
11278 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
11279 @cindex expiring mail
11280 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
11281 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
11282 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
11283 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
11286 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
11287 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
11288 @cindex expiring mail
11289 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
11290 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
11291 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
11292 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
11295 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
11296 @cindex deleting mail
11297 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
11298 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
11299 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
11300 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
11301 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
11304 @kindex B m (Summary)
11306 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
11307 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
11308 Move the article from one mail group to another
11309 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
11310 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
11313 @kindex B c (Summary)
11315 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
11316 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
11317 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
11318 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
11319 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
11322 @kindex B B (Summary)
11323 @cindex crosspost mail
11324 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
11325 Crosspost the current article to some other group
11326 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
11327 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
11328 be properly updated.
11331 @kindex B i (Summary)
11332 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
11333 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
11334 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
11335 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
11338 @kindex B I (Summary)
11339 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
11340 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
11341 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
11342 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
11345 @kindex B r (Summary)
11346 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
11347 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
11348 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
11349 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
11350 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
11351 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
11352 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
11353 (which is the default).
11357 @kindex B w (Summary)
11358 @kindex e (Summary)
11359 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
11360 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
11361 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
11362 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
11363 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
11364 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
11365 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
11368 @kindex B q (Summary)
11369 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
11370 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
11371 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
11372 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
11375 @kindex B t (Summary)
11376 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
11377 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
11378 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
11381 @kindex B p (Summary)
11382 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
11383 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
11384 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
11385 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
11386 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
11387 article from your news server (or rather, from
11388 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
11389 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
11390 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
11391 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
11392 just not have arrived yet.
11395 @kindex K E (Summary)
11396 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
11397 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
11398 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
11399 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
11400 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
11404 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
11405 @cindex moving articles
11406 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
11407 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
11408 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
11409 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
11410 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
11411 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
11412 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
11415 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
11416 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
11417 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
11418 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
11422 @node Various Summary Stuff
11423 @section Various Summary Stuff
11426 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
11427 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
11428 * Summary Generation Commands::
11429 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
11433 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
11434 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
11435 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
11436 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
11437 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
11438 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
11440 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
11441 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
11442 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
11445 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
11446 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
11447 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
11449 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
11450 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
11451 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
11452 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
11453 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
11454 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
11457 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
11458 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
11459 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
11460 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
11461 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
11463 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
11464 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
11465 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
11468 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
11469 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
11470 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
11471 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
11472 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
11473 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
11474 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
11475 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
11476 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
11477 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
11479 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
11480 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
11481 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
11482 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
11483 list of articles to be selected.
11485 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
11486 the list in one particular group:
11489 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
11490 (if (string= group "some.group")
11491 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
11495 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
11496 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
11497 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
11498 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
11499 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
11502 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
11503 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
11504 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
11505 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
11506 variable will be used instead.
11508 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
11509 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
11510 buffers. For example:
11513 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
11514 '(message-use-followup-to
11515 (gnus-visible-headers .
11516 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
11519 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
11521 @vindex gnus-propagate-marks
11522 @item gnus-propagate-marks
11523 If non-@code{nil}, propagate marks to the backends for possible
11524 storing. @xref{NNTP marks}, and friends, for a more fine-grained
11530 @node Summary Group Information
11531 @subsection Summary Group Information
11536 @kindex H d (Summary)
11537 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
11538 Give a brief description of the current group
11539 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
11540 rereading the description from the server.
11543 @kindex H h (Summary)
11544 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
11545 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
11546 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
11549 @kindex H i (Summary)
11550 @findex gnus-info-find-node
11551 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
11555 @node Searching for Articles
11556 @subsection Searching for Articles
11561 @kindex M-s (Summary)
11562 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
11563 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
11564 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
11567 @kindex M-r (Summary)
11568 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
11569 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
11570 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
11573 @kindex M-S (Summary)
11574 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward
11575 Repeat the previous search forwards
11576 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward}).
11579 @kindex M-R (Summary)
11580 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward
11581 Repeat the previous search backwards
11582 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward}).
11585 @kindex & (Summary)
11586 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
11587 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
11588 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
11589 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
11590 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
11591 search backward instead.
11593 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
11594 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
11597 @kindex M-& (Summary)
11598 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
11599 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
11600 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
11603 @node Summary Generation Commands
11604 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
11609 @kindex Y g (Summary)
11610 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
11611 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
11614 @kindex Y c (Summary)
11615 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
11616 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11617 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
11620 @kindex Y d (Summary)
11621 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
11622 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11623 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
11626 @kindex Y t (Summary)
11627 @findex gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles
11628 Pull all ticked articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11629 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles}).
11634 @node Really Various Summary Commands
11635 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
11641 @kindex C-d (Summary)
11642 @kindex A D (Summary)
11643 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
11644 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
11645 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
11646 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
11647 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
11648 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
11649 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
11650 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
11653 @vindex gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit
11654 The variable @code{gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit} controls what
11655 article should be selected after exiting a digest group. Valid values
11660 Select the next article.
11663 Select the next unread article.
11665 @item next-noselect
11666 Move the cursor to the next article. This is the default.
11668 @item next-unread-noselect
11669 Move the cursor to the next unread article.
11672 If it has any other value or there is no next (unread) article, the
11673 article selected before entering to the digest group will appear.
11676 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
11677 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
11678 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
11679 several documents into one biiig group
11680 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
11681 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
11682 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
11683 command understands the process/prefix convention
11684 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11687 @kindex C-t (Summary)
11688 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
11689 Toggle truncation of summary lines
11690 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
11691 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
11692 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
11695 @kindex = (Summary)
11696 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
11697 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
11698 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
11701 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
11702 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
11703 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11704 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
11707 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
11708 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
11709 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11710 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
11715 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
11716 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
11717 @cindex summary exit
11718 @cindex exiting groups
11720 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
11721 group and return you to the group buffer.
11728 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
11729 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
11730 @kindex q (Summary)
11731 @findex gnus-summary-exit
11732 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
11733 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
11734 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
11735 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
11736 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
11737 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
11738 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
11739 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
11740 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
11741 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
11742 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
11746 @kindex Z E (Summary)
11747 @kindex Q (Summary)
11748 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
11749 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
11750 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
11754 @kindex Z c (Summary)
11755 @kindex c (Summary)
11756 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
11757 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
11758 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
11759 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
11762 @kindex Z C (Summary)
11763 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
11764 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
11765 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
11768 @kindex Z n (Summary)
11769 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
11770 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
11771 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
11774 @kindex Z p (Summary)
11775 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
11776 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
11777 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
11781 @kindex Z R (Summary)
11782 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
11783 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
11784 Exit this group, and then enter it again
11785 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
11786 all articles, both read and unread.
11790 @kindex Z G (Summary)
11791 @kindex M-g (Summary)
11792 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
11793 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
11794 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
11795 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
11796 articles, both read and unread.
11799 @kindex Z N (Summary)
11800 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
11801 Exit the group and go to the next group
11802 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
11805 @kindex Z P (Summary)
11806 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
11807 Exit the group and go to the previous group
11808 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
11811 @kindex Z s (Summary)
11812 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
11813 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
11814 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
11815 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
11816 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
11819 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
11820 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
11821 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
11822 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
11824 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
11825 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
11826 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
11827 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
11828 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
11829 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
11830 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
11831 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
11832 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
11833 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
11834 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
11835 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
11837 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
11839 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
11840 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
11841 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
11842 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
11843 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
11844 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
11845 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
11846 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
11847 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
11850 @node Crosspost Handling
11851 @section Crosspost Handling
11855 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
11856 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
11857 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
11858 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
11859 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
11862 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
11863 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
11864 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
11865 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
11866 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
11868 @cindex cross-posting
11870 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
11871 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
11872 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
11873 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
11874 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
11875 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
11876 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
11877 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
11878 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
11879 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
11880 the cross reference mechanism.
11882 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
11883 @cindex overview.fmt
11884 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
11885 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
11886 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
11887 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
11888 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
11889 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
11892 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
11893 set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
11894 considerably. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
11898 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
11901 @node Duplicate Suppression
11902 @section Duplicate Suppression
11904 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
11905 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
11906 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
11907 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
11912 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
11913 is evil and not very common.
11916 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
11917 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
11920 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
11921 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
11924 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
11927 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
11928 well, but these four are the most common situations.
11930 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
11931 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
11932 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
11933 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
11934 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
11935 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
11936 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
11939 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
11940 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
11941 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
11942 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
11943 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
11944 saw the article in.
11947 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
11948 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
11949 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
11951 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
11952 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
11953 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
11954 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
11955 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
11956 session are suppressed.
11958 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
11959 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
11960 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
11961 suppression list. The default is 10000.
11963 @item gnus-duplicate-file
11964 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
11965 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
11966 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
11969 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
11970 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
11971 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
11972 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
11973 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
11974 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
11975 to you to figure out, I think.
11980 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
11981 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
11982 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
11987 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
11988 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
11989 to GnuPG included with Emacs is called EasyPG (@pxref{Top, ,EasyPG,
11990 epa, EasyPG Assistant user's manual}), but PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg,
11991 PGG Manual}), Mailcrypt, and gpg.el are also supported.
11994 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
11995 or newer is recommended.
11999 The variables that control security functionality on reading/composing
12003 @item mm-verify-option
12004 @vindex mm-verify-option
12005 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
12006 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
12007 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
12009 @item mm-decrypt-option
12010 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
12011 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
12012 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
12013 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
12015 @item mm-sign-option
12016 @vindex mm-sign-option
12017 Option of creating signed parts. @code{nil}, use default signing
12018 keys; @code{guided}, ask user to select signing keys from the menu.
12020 @item mm-encrypt-option
12021 @vindex mm-encrypt-option
12022 Option of creating encrypted parts. @code{nil}, use the first
12023 public-key matching the @samp{From:} header as the recipient;
12024 @code{guided}, ask user to select recipient keys from the menu.
12027 @vindex mml1991-use
12028 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
12029 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but @code{pgg},
12030 @code{mailcrypt}, and @code{gpg} are also supported although
12031 deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available interface in
12035 @vindex mml2015-use
12036 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
12037 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but
12038 @code{pgg}, @code{mailcrypt}, and @code{gpg} are also supported
12039 although deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available
12040 interface in this order.
12044 By default the buttons that display security information are not
12045 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
12046 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
12047 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
12048 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
12049 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
12050 how to customize these variables to always display security
12053 @cindex snarfing keys
12054 @cindex importing PGP keys
12055 @cindex PGP key ring import
12056 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
12057 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
12058 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
12059 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
12060 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
12061 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
12062 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
12063 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
12064 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
12067 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
12070 This happens to also be the default action defined in
12071 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
12073 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
12074 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
12075 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
12078 @section Mailing List
12079 @cindex mailing list
12082 @kindex A M (summary)
12083 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
12084 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
12085 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
12086 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
12089 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
12094 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
12095 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
12096 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
12099 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
12100 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
12101 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
12104 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
12105 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
12106 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
12110 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
12111 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
12112 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
12115 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
12116 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
12117 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
12120 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
12121 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
12122 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
12127 @node Article Buffer
12128 @chapter Article Buffer
12129 @cindex article buffer
12131 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
12132 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
12133 tell Gnus otherwise.
12136 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
12137 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
12138 * HTML:: Reading @acronym{HTML} messages.
12139 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
12140 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
12141 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
12145 @node Hiding Headers
12146 @section Hiding Headers
12147 @cindex hiding headers
12148 @cindex deleting headers
12150 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
12151 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
12153 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
12154 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
12155 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
12156 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
12157 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
12158 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
12159 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
12160 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
12161 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
12163 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
12167 @item gnus-visible-headers
12168 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
12169 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
12170 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
12171 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
12173 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
12174 the article and the subject, you'd say:
12177 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
12180 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
12183 @item gnus-ignored-headers
12184 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
12185 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
12186 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
12187 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
12188 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
12190 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
12191 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
12194 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
12197 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
12200 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
12201 variable will have no effect.
12205 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
12206 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
12207 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
12208 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
12209 the headers are to be displayed.
12211 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
12212 and then the subject, you might say something like:
12215 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
12218 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
12219 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
12221 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
12222 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
12223 You can hide further boring headers by setting
12224 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
12225 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
12226 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
12227 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
12230 These conditions are:
12233 Remove all empty headers.
12235 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
12236 @code{Newsgroups} header.
12238 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
12239 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
12242 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
12245 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
12246 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
12248 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
12249 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
12251 Remove the @code{Cc} header if it only contains the address identical to
12252 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
12254 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
12257 Remove the @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} header if it is very long.
12259 Remove all @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} headers if there are more than one.
12262 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
12265 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
12266 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
12269 This is also the default value for this variable.
12273 @section Using MIME
12274 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12276 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
12277 while people stand around yawning.
12279 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
12280 while all newsreaders die of fear.
12282 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
12283 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
12284 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
12286 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
12287 @findex gnus-display-mime
12288 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
12289 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
12290 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
12291 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
12293 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
12294 @acronym{MIME} button:
12297 @findex gnus-article-press-button
12298 @item RET (Article)
12299 @kindex RET (Article)
12300 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
12301 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
12302 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
12303 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
12304 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
12305 object is displayed inline.
12307 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
12308 @item M-RET (Article)
12309 @kindex M-RET (Article)
12311 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
12312 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
12314 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
12316 @kindex t (Article)
12317 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
12318 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
12320 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
12322 @kindex C (Article)
12323 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
12324 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
12326 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
12328 @kindex o (Article)
12329 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
12330 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
12332 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
12333 @item C-o (Article)
12334 @kindex C-o (Article)
12335 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
12336 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
12337 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
12338 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
12339 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
12340 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
12342 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
12344 @kindex r (Article)
12345 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
12346 external body refering to the file via the message/external-body
12347 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
12349 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
12351 @kindex d (Article)
12352 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
12353 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
12354 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
12356 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
12358 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
12360 @kindex c (Article)
12361 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
12362 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
12363 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
12364 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
12365 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
12366 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
12367 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
12368 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
12370 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
12372 @kindex p (Article)
12373 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
12374 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
12375 @file{.mailcap} file.
12377 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
12379 @kindex i (Article)
12380 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
12381 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as @samp{text/plain}. If given a prefix, insert
12382 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
12383 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
12384 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
12385 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
12386 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
12387 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
12388 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
12390 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
12392 @kindex E (Article)
12393 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
12394 viewer is available, use an external viewer
12395 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
12397 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
12399 @kindex e (Article)
12400 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
12401 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
12403 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
12405 @kindex | (Article)
12406 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
12408 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
12410 @kindex . (Article)
12411 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
12412 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
12416 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
12417 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
12418 @acronym{MIME} manual.
12420 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
12421 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
12422 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
12423 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
12424 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
12425 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
12426 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
12427 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
12428 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
12430 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
12432 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
12436 @section @acronym{HTML}
12437 @cindex @acronym{HTML}
12439 If you have @code{w3m} installed on your system, Gnus can display
12440 @acronym{HTML} articles in the article buffer. There are many Gnus
12441 add-ons for doing this, using various approaches, but there's one
12442 (sort of) built-in method that's used by default.
12444 For a complete overview, consult @xref{Display Customization,
12445 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. This
12446 section only describes the default method.
12449 @item mm-text-html-renderer
12450 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
12451 If set to @code{gnus-article-html}, Gnus will use the built-in method,
12452 that's based on @code{curl} and @code{w3m}.
12454 @item gnus-blocked-images
12455 @vindex gnus-blocked-images
12456 Images that have @acronym{URL}s that match this regexp won't be
12457 fetched and displayed. For instance, do block all @acronym{URL}s that
12458 have the string ``ads'' in them, do the following:
12461 (setq gnus-blocked-images "ads")
12464 The default is to block all external images.
12466 @item gnus-html-cache-directory
12467 @vindex gnus-html-cache-directory
12468 Gnus will download and cache images according to how
12469 @code{gnus-blocked-images} is set. These images will be stored in
12472 @item gnus-html-cache-size
12473 @vindex gnus-html-cache-size
12474 When @code{gnus-html-cache-size} bytes have been used in that
12475 directory, the oldest files will be deleted. The default is 500MB.
12477 @item gnus-html-frame-width
12478 @vindex gnus-html-frame-width
12479 The width to use when rendering HTML. The default is 70.
12481 @item gnus-max-image-proportion
12482 @vindex gnus-max-image-proportion
12483 How big pictures displayed are in relation to the window they're in.
12484 A value of 0.7 (the default) means that they are allowed to take up
12485 70% of the width and height of the window. If they are larger than
12486 this, and Emacs supports it, then the images will be rescaled down to
12487 fit these criteria.
12491 To use this, make sure that you have @code{w3m} and @code{curl}
12492 installed. If you have, then Gnus should display @acronym{HTML}
12497 @node Customizing Articles
12498 @section Customizing Articles
12499 @cindex article customization
12501 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
12502 exist. You can call these functions interactively
12503 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
12504 called automatically when you select the articles.
12506 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
12507 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
12508 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
12509 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
12511 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
12512 for sensible values.
12516 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
12519 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
12522 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
12525 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
12528 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
12531 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
12535 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
12536 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
12537 regexps in the list.
12540 A list where the first element is not a string:
12542 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
12543 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
12544 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
12548 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
12553 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
12554 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
12555 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
12556 considered to contain just a single part.
12558 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
12559 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
12560 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
12561 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
12562 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
12563 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
12564 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
12567 @c Avoid sort of redundant entries in the same section for the printed
12568 @c manual, but add them in info to allow `i gnus-treat-foo-bar RET' or
12570 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize
12571 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize-head
12572 @vindex gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences
12573 @vindex gnus-treat-overstrike
12574 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-cr
12575 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body
12576 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
12577 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
12578 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-pem
12579 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
12580 @vindex gnus-treat-unsplit-urls
12581 @vindex gnus-treat-wash-html
12582 @vindex gnus-treat-date-english
12583 @vindex gnus-treat-date-iso8601
12584 @vindex gnus-treat-date-lapsed
12585 @vindex gnus-treat-date-local
12586 @vindex gnus-treat-date-original
12587 @vindex gnus-treat-date-user-defined
12588 @vindex gnus-treat-date-ut
12589 @vindex gnus-treat-from-picon
12590 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-picon
12591 @vindex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
12592 @vindex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
12593 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
12594 @vindex gnus-treat-display-smileys
12595 @vindex gnus-treat-body-boundary
12596 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12597 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12598 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12599 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12600 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12601 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12602 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12603 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12604 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12605 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12606 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12607 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12608 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12609 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12610 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12611 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12612 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12613 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12614 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12615 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12616 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12619 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
12620 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
12621 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
12622 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
12625 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
12626 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
12628 @xref{Article Buttons}.
12630 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
12631 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
12632 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
12633 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
12634 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
12635 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
12636 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
12637 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
12638 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
12639 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
12641 @xref{Article Washing}.
12643 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
12644 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
12645 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
12646 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
12647 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
12648 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
12649 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
12651 @xref{Article Date}.
12653 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
12654 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
12655 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
12659 @item gnus-treat-from-gravatar (head)
12660 @item gnus-treat-mail-gravatar (head)
12664 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
12666 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
12668 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
12669 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
12670 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
12674 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12675 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
12679 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12680 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
12684 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12685 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
12686 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12687 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
12688 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12689 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
12690 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12691 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
12692 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12693 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
12694 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12695 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
12696 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12697 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
12698 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12699 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
12700 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12701 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
12702 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12703 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
12705 @xref{Article Hiding}.
12707 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12708 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
12709 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12710 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
12711 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12712 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
12714 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
12716 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12717 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
12718 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
12719 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12720 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
12722 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12723 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
12724 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12725 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
12726 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12727 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
12728 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12729 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
12731 @xref{Article Header}.
12736 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
12737 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
12738 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
12739 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
12740 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
12744 @node Article Keymap
12745 @section Article Keymap
12747 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
12748 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
12749 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
12750 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
12753 @kindex v (Article)
12754 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Article)
12755 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
12756 command or better use it as a prefix key.
12758 A few additional keystrokes are available:
12763 @kindex SPACE (Article)
12764 @findex gnus-article-next-page
12765 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
12766 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
12769 @kindex DEL (Article)
12770 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
12771 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
12772 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
12775 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
12776 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
12777 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
12778 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
12779 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
12782 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
12783 @findex gnus-article-mail
12784 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
12785 given a prefix, include the mail.
12788 @kindex s (Article)
12789 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
12790 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
12791 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
12794 @kindex ? (Article)
12795 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
12796 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
12797 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
12800 @kindex TAB (Article)
12801 @findex gnus-article-next-button
12802 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
12803 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
12806 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
12807 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
12808 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
12811 @kindex R (Article)
12812 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
12813 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
12814 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If the region is active,
12815 only yank the text in the region.
12818 @kindex S W (Article)
12819 @findex gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original
12820 Send a wide reply to the current article and yank the current article
12821 (@code{gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original}). If the region is
12822 active, only yank the text in the region.
12825 @kindex F (Article)
12826 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
12827 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
12828 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If the region is active,
12829 only yank the text in the region.
12836 @section Misc Article
12840 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
12841 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
12842 @cindex article buffers, several
12843 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
12844 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
12847 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
12848 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
12849 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12850 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
12851 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
12853 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
12854 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
12855 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
12856 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
12857 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
12858 the contents of the article buffer.
12860 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
12861 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
12862 Hook called in article mode buffers.
12864 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12865 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12866 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
12867 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
12869 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
12870 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
12871 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
12872 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
12874 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
12875 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
12876 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
12877 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
12878 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
12879 with two extensions:
12884 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
12885 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
12886 performed. The characters and their meaning:
12891 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
12894 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
12897 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
12898 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
12899 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
12902 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
12905 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
12908 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasized strings in the article buffer.
12913 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
12917 @vindex gnus-break-pages
12919 @item gnus-break-pages
12920 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
12921 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
12922 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
12923 paging will not be done.
12925 @item gnus-page-delimiter
12926 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
12927 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
12931 @cindex internationalized domain names
12932 @vindex gnus-use-idna
12933 @item gnus-use-idna
12934 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
12935 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
12936 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
12937 for how to compose such messages. This requires
12938 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
12939 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
12944 @node Composing Messages
12945 @chapter Composing Messages
12946 @cindex composing messages
12949 @cindex sending mail
12954 @cindex using s/mime
12955 @cindex using smime
12957 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
12958 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
12959 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
12960 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
12961 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
12962 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
12965 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
12966 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
12967 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
12968 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
12969 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
12970 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
12971 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
12972 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
12973 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
12976 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
12977 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
12983 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
12986 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
12987 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
12988 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
12989 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
12990 @code{nil} include all headers.
12992 @item gnus-add-to-list
12993 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
12994 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
12995 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
12997 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
12998 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
12999 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
13000 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
13001 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
13002 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
13003 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
13004 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
13006 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
13007 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
13009 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
13010 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
13011 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
13012 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
13013 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
13018 @node Posting Server
13019 @section Posting Server
13021 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
13022 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
13024 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
13026 It can be quite complicated.
13028 @vindex gnus-post-method
13029 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
13030 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
13031 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
13032 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
13033 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
13034 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
13035 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
13036 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
13037 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
13040 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
13043 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
13044 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
13045 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
13046 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
13048 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
13049 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
13051 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
13052 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
13055 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
13056 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
13058 @vindex message-send-mail-function
13059 When sending mail, Message invokes the function specified by the
13060 variable @code{message-send-mail-function}. Gnus tries to set it to a
13061 value suitable for your system.
13062 @xref{Mail Variables, ,Mail Variables,message,Message manual}, for more
13065 @node POP before SMTP
13066 @section POP before SMTP
13067 @cindex pop before smtp
13068 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
13069 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
13071 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
13072 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
13073 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
13074 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
13075 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13078 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
13079 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
13083 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
13084 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
13085 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
13086 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
13087 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
13088 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
13089 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
13090 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
13092 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
13093 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
13094 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
13095 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
13096 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
13097 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
13100 (setq mail-source-primary-source
13101 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13102 :password "secret"))
13106 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
13107 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
13110 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
13112 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
13113 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13114 :password "secret")))
13115 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
13118 @node Mail and Post
13119 @section Mail and Post
13121 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
13125 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
13126 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
13127 @cindex mailing lists
13129 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
13130 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
13131 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
13132 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
13133 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
13134 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
13135 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
13136 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
13137 still a pain, though.
13139 @item gnus-user-agent
13140 @vindex gnus-user-agent
13143 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
13144 User-Agent header. It can be a list of symbols or a string. Valid
13145 symbols are @code{gnus} (show Gnus version) and @code{emacs} (show Emacs
13146 version). In addition to the Emacs version, you can add @code{codename}
13147 (show (S)XEmacs codename) or either @code{config} (show system
13148 configuration) or @code{type} (show system type). If you set it to a
13149 string, be sure to use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
13153 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
13154 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
13155 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
13158 @findex ispell-message
13160 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
13163 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
13164 you're in, you could say something like the following:
13167 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
13171 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
13172 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
13174 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
13177 Modify to suit your needs.
13179 @vindex gnus-message-highlight-citation
13180 If @code{gnus-message-highlight-citation} is t, different levels of
13181 citations are highlighted like in Gnus article buffers also in message
13184 @node Archived Messages
13185 @section Archived Messages
13186 @cindex archived messages
13187 @cindex sent messages
13189 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
13190 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
13191 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
13192 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
13195 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
13196 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
13199 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
13200 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
13201 use to store sent messages. The default is @code{"archive"}, and when
13202 actually being used it is expanded into:
13205 (nnfolder "archive"
13206 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
13207 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
13208 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
13209 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
13213 @vindex gnus-update-message-archive-method
13214 Note: a server like this is saved in the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file first
13215 so that it may be used as a real method of the server which is named
13216 @code{"archive"} (that is, for the case where
13217 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} is set to @code{"archive"}) ever
13218 since. If it once has been saved, it will never be updated by default
13219 even if you change the value of @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
13220 afterward. Therefore, the server @code{"archive"} doesn't necessarily
13221 mean the @code{nnfolder} server like this at all times. If you want the
13222 saved method to reflect always the value of
13223 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, set the
13224 @code{gnus-update-message-archive-method} variable to a non-@code{nil}
13225 value. The default value of this variable is @code{nil}.
13228 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
13229 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
13230 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
13231 directory chosen, you could say something like:
13234 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
13235 '(nnfolder "archive"
13236 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
13237 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
13238 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
13241 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
13243 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
13244 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
13245 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
13247 This variable can be used to do the following:
13251 Messages will be saved in that group.
13253 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
13254 message will not be stored in the select method given by
13255 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
13256 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
13257 has the default value shown above. Then setting
13258 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
13259 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
13260 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
13263 @item a list of strings
13264 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
13266 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
13267 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
13270 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
13275 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
13277 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
13280 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
13282 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
13285 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
13287 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13288 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
13289 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
13290 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
13293 More complex stuff:
13295 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13296 '((if (message-news-p)
13301 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
13302 messages in one file per month:
13305 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13306 '((if (message-news-p)
13308 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
13311 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
13312 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
13314 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
13315 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
13316 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
13317 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
13318 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
13319 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
13320 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
13321 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
13322 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
13323 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
13325 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
13326 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
13327 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
13328 this will disable archiving.
13331 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
13332 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
13333 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
13334 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
13335 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
13338 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
13339 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
13340 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
13343 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
13344 but the latter is the preferred method.
13346 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
13347 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
13348 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
13350 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
13351 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
13352 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
13353 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
13354 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
13355 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
13356 changed in the future.
13361 @node Posting Styles
13362 @section Posting Styles
13363 @cindex posting styles
13366 All them variables, they make my head swim.
13368 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
13369 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
13370 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
13373 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
13374 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
13375 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
13376 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
13377 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
13382 (signature "Peace and happiness")
13383 (organization "What me?"))
13385 (signature "Death to everybody"))
13386 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
13387 (organization "Emacs is it")))
13390 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
13391 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
13392 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
13393 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
13394 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
13395 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
13396 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
13397 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
13399 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
13400 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
13401 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
13402 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
13403 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
13404 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
13405 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
13406 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
13407 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
13408 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
13409 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
13410 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
13411 said to @dfn{match}.
13413 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
13414 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
13415 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
13416 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
13417 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
13418 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
13419 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
13420 name can be one of:
13423 @item @code{signature}
13424 @item @code{signature-file}
13425 @item @code{x-face-file}
13426 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
13427 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
13431 Note that the @code{signature-file} attribute honors the variable
13432 @code{message-signature-directory}.
13434 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
13435 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
13436 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
13437 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
13438 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
13440 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
13441 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
13442 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
13443 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
13444 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
13445 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
13446 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
13447 references chars lines xref extra.
13449 @vindex message-reply-headers
13451 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
13452 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
13453 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
13455 @findex message-mail-p
13456 @findex message-news-p
13458 So here's a new example:
13461 (setq gnus-posting-styles
13463 (signature-file "~/.signature")
13465 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
13466 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
13467 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
13469 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
13470 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
13471 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
13472 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
13473 (signature my-news-signature))
13474 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
13475 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
13476 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
13477 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
13478 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
13479 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
13480 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
13481 (address "user@@bar.foo")
13482 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
13483 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
13485 (From (with-current-buffer gnus-article-buffer
13486 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
13488 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
13491 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
13492 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
13493 if you fill many roles.
13494 You may also use @code{message-alternative-emails} instead.
13495 @xref{Message Headers, ,Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
13501 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
13502 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
13503 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
13504 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
13505 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
13507 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
13508 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
13509 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
13510 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
13511 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
13515 @vindex nndraft-directory
13516 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
13517 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
13518 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
13519 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
13520 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
13521 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
13523 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
13524 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
13525 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
13526 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
13527 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
13528 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
13529 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
13530 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
13531 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
13533 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
13534 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
13535 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
13536 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
13537 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
13538 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
13539 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
13540 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
13541 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
13542 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
13543 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
13544 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
13545 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
13546 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
13548 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
13549 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
13550 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
13552 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
13553 @kindex D e (Draft)
13554 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
13555 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
13556 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
13558 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
13561 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
13562 @kindex D s (Draft)
13563 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
13564 @kindex D S (Draft)
13565 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
13566 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
13567 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
13568 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
13569 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
13572 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
13573 @kindex D t (Draft)
13574 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
13575 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
13576 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
13578 Finally, if you want to delete a draft, use the normal @kbd{B DEL}
13579 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13582 @node Rejected Articles
13583 @section Rejected Articles
13584 @cindex rejected articles
13586 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
13587 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
13588 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
13589 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
13591 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
13592 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
13593 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
13594 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
13595 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
13597 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
13598 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
13599 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
13601 @node Signing and encrypting
13602 @section Signing and encrypting
13604 @cindex using s/mime
13605 @cindex using smime
13607 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
13608 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
13609 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
13610 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
13612 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
13613 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
13614 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
13615 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
13616 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
13617 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
13618 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
13619 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
13620 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
13621 automatically encrypted messages.
13623 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
13624 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
13625 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
13630 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
13631 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
13633 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13636 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
13637 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13639 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13642 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
13643 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13645 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13648 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
13649 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
13651 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13654 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
13655 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
13657 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13660 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
13661 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
13663 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13666 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
13667 @findex mml-unsecure-message
13668 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
13672 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
13674 @node Select Methods
13675 @chapter Select Methods
13676 @cindex foreign groups
13677 @cindex select methods
13679 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
13680 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
13681 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
13682 personal mail group.
13684 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
13685 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
13686 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
13687 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
13688 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
13689 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
13691 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
13692 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
13694 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
13697 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
13698 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
13699 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
13700 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
13701 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
13703 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
13706 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
13707 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
13708 * Using @acronym{IMAP}:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
13709 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
13710 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
13711 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
13712 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
13713 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
13714 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
13718 @node Server Buffer
13719 @section Server Buffer
13721 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
13722 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
13723 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
13724 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
13725 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
13726 back end represents a virtual server.
13728 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
13729 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
13730 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
13731 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
13733 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
13734 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
13735 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
13736 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
13737 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
13738 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
13739 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
13741 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
13742 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
13745 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
13746 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
13747 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
13748 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
13749 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
13750 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
13751 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
13754 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
13755 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
13758 @node Server Buffer Format
13759 @subsection Server Buffer Format
13760 @cindex server buffer format
13762 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
13763 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
13764 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
13765 variable, with some simple extensions:
13770 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
13773 The name of this server.
13776 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
13779 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
13782 Whether this server is agentized.
13785 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
13786 The mode line can also be customized by using the
13787 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
13788 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
13798 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
13801 @node Server Commands
13802 @subsection Server Commands
13803 @cindex server commands
13809 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Server)
13810 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
13811 command or better use it as a prefix key.
13815 @findex gnus-server-add-server
13816 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
13820 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
13821 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
13824 @kindex SPACE (Server)
13825 @findex gnus-server-read-server
13826 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
13830 @findex gnus-server-exit
13831 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
13835 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
13836 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
13840 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
13841 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
13845 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13846 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
13850 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
13851 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
13855 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
13856 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
13857 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
13862 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
13863 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
13864 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
13865 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
13869 @findex gnus-server-compact-server
13871 Compact all groups in the server under point
13872 (@code{gnus-server-compact-server}). Currently implemented only in
13873 nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes gaps between article numbers,
13874 hence getting a correct total article count.
13879 @node Example Methods
13880 @subsection Example Methods
13882 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
13885 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
13888 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
13894 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
13895 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
13898 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
13899 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
13901 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
13902 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
13906 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
13909 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
13910 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
13912 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
13913 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
13914 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
13918 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
13921 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
13924 Here's the method for a public spool:
13928 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
13929 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
13935 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
13936 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
13937 on the firewall machine and connect with
13938 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} from there to the
13939 @acronym{NNTP} server.
13940 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
13941 should probably look something like this:
13945 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)
13946 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
13947 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host"))
13950 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
13951 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
13952 configuration to the example above:
13955 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13958 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
13959 an indirect connection:
13962 (setq gnus-select-method
13964 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
13965 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
13966 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
13967 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13968 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C"))
13969 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)))
13972 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
13973 provide automatic authorization, of course.
13975 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
13976 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
13977 netcat connection to the news server as follows:
13981 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13982 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
13983 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13987 @node Creating a Virtual Server
13988 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
13990 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
13991 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
13993 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
13994 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
13995 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
13997 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
13999 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
14000 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
14001 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
14002 will contain the following:
14012 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
14013 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
14016 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
14017 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
14018 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
14021 @node Server Variables
14022 @subsection Server Variables
14023 @cindex server variables
14024 @cindex server parameters
14026 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
14027 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
14028 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
14029 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
14030 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
14032 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
14033 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
14034 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
14035 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
14036 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
14037 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
14038 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
14039 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
14040 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
14044 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
14045 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
14046 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
14049 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
14051 @node Servers and Methods
14052 @subsection Servers and Methods
14054 Wherever you would normally use a select method
14055 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
14056 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
14057 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
14061 @node Unavailable Servers
14062 @subsection Unavailable Servers
14064 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
14065 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
14066 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
14067 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
14068 actually the case or not.
14070 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
14071 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
14072 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
14073 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
14074 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
14075 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
14076 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
14077 it will regard that server as ``down''.
14079 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
14080 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
14082 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
14083 with the following commands:
14089 @findex gnus-server-open-server
14090 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
14091 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
14095 @findex gnus-server-close-server
14096 Close the connection (if any) to the server
14097 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
14101 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
14102 Mark the current server as unreachable
14103 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
14106 @kindex M-o (Server)
14107 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
14108 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
14109 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
14112 @kindex M-c (Server)
14113 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
14114 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
14115 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
14119 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
14120 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
14121 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
14125 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
14126 Copy a server and give it a new name
14127 (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}). This can be useful if you have a
14128 complex method definition, and want to use the same definition towards
14129 a different (physical) server.
14133 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
14134 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
14140 @section Getting News
14141 @cindex reading news
14142 @cindex news back ends
14144 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
14145 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
14146 or it can read from a local spool.
14149 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
14150 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
14158 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
14159 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
14160 server as the, uhm, address.
14162 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
14163 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
14164 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
14165 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14167 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
14168 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
14169 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
14171 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
14176 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
14177 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
14178 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
14180 @cindex authentication
14181 @cindex nntp authentication
14182 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
14183 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
14184 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
14185 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
14186 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
14187 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
14188 present in this hook.
14190 @item nntp-authinfo-function
14191 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
14192 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
14193 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
14194 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
14195 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
14196 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
14197 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
14198 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
14199 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
14200 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
14201 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
14205 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
14208 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
14210 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
14211 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
14212 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
14213 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
14214 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
14215 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
14216 @samp{force} is explained below.
14220 Here's an example file:
14223 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
14224 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
14227 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
14228 have to be first, for instance.
14230 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
14231 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
14232 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
14233 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
14234 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
14235 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
14236 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
14238 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
14239 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
14245 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
14246 previously mentioned.
14248 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
14250 @item nntp-server-action-alist
14251 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
14252 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
14253 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
14254 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
14257 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
14258 '(("innd" (ding))))
14261 You probably don't want to do that, though.
14263 The default value is
14266 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
14267 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
14268 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
14271 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
14272 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
14274 @item nntp-maximum-request
14275 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
14276 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
14277 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
14278 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
14279 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
14280 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
14281 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
14283 @item nntp-connection-timeout
14284 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
14285 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
14286 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
14287 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
14288 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
14289 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
14290 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
14291 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
14292 no timeouts are done.
14294 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
14295 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
14296 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
14297 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
14300 @item nntp-xover-commands
14301 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
14302 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
14304 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
14305 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
14309 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
14310 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
14311 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
14312 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
14313 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
14314 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
14315 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
14316 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
14317 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
14318 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
14319 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
14321 @item nntp-xref-number-is-evil
14322 @vindex nntp-xref-number-is-evil
14323 When Gnus refers to an article having the @code{Message-ID} that a user
14324 specifies or having the @code{Message-ID} of the parent article of the
14325 current one (@pxref{Finding the Parent}), Gnus sends a @code{HEAD}
14326 command to the @acronym{NNTP} server to know where it is, and the server
14327 returns the data containing the pairs of a group and an article number
14328 in the @code{Xref} header. Gnus normally uses the article number to
14329 refer to the article if the data shows that that article is in the
14330 current group, while it uses the @code{Message-ID} otherwise. However,
14331 some news servers, e.g., ones running Diablo, run multiple engines
14332 having the same articles but article numbers are not kept synchronized
14333 between them. In that case, the article number that appears in the
14334 @code{Xref} header varies by which engine is chosen, so you cannot refer
14335 to the parent article that is in the current group, for instance. If
14336 you connect to such a server, set this variable to a non-@code{nil}
14337 value, and Gnus never uses article numbers. For example:
14340 (setq gnus-select-method
14342 (nntp-address "newszilla.example.com")
14343 (nntp-xref-number-is-evil t)
14347 The default value of this server variable is @code{nil}.
14349 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
14350 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
14351 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
14353 @item nntp-record-commands
14354 @vindex nntp-record-commands
14355 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
14356 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
14357 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
14358 that doesn't seem to work.
14360 @item nntp-open-connection-function
14361 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
14362 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
14363 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
14364 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
14365 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
14366 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
14367 indirect ones (three pre-made).
14369 @item nntp-never-echoes-commands
14370 @vindex nntp-never-echoes-commands
14371 Non-@code{nil} means the nntp server never echoes commands. It is
14372 reported that some nntps server doesn't echo commands. So, you may want
14373 to set this to non-@code{nil} in the method for such a server setting
14374 @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream} for
14375 example. The default value is @code{nil}. Note that the
14376 @code{nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands} variable
14377 overrides the @code{nil} value of this variable.
14379 @item nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
14380 @vindex nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
14381 List of functions that never echo commands. Add or set a function which
14382 you set to @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to this list if it does
14383 not echo commands. Note that a non-@code{nil} value of the
14384 @code{nntp-never-echoes-commands} variable overrides this variable. The
14385 default value is @code{(nntp-open-network-stream)}.
14387 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
14388 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
14389 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
14390 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
14391 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
14392 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
14393 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
14396 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
14399 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
14400 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
14405 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
14406 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
14407 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
14408 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
14412 @node Direct Functions
14413 @subsubsection Direct Functions
14414 @cindex direct connection functions
14416 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
14417 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
14418 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
14419 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14422 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
14423 @item nntp-open-network-stream
14424 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
14427 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
14428 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
14429 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
14430 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
14431 installed. You then define a server as follows:
14434 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
14435 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
14437 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
14438 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
14439 (nntp-port-number 563)
14440 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
14443 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
14444 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
14445 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
14446 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
14447 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
14448 then define a server as follows:
14451 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
14452 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
14454 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
14455 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
14456 (nntp-port-number 563)
14457 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
14460 @findex nntp-open-netcat-stream
14461 @item nntp-open-netcat-stream
14462 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server using the @code{netcat}
14463 program. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have
14464 the default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
14465 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
14466 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
14467 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
14471 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14472 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
14473 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
14476 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
14477 session, which is not a good idea.
14479 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
14480 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
14481 Like @code{nntp-open-netcat-stream}, but uses @code{telnet} rather than
14482 @code{netcat}. @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things
14483 like line-end-conversion, but sometimes netcat is simply
14484 not available. The previous example would turn into:
14488 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14489 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
14490 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
14491 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
14496 @node Indirect Functions
14497 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
14498 @cindex indirect connection functions
14500 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
14501 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14502 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
14503 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
14504 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
14505 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14508 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
14509 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
14510 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then uses @code{netcat} to connect
14511 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
14512 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
14514 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
14517 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
14518 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
14519 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
14520 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
14522 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14523 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14524 List of strings to be used as the switches to
14525 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
14526 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
14527 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections.
14530 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
14531 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
14532 Does essentially the same, but uses @code{telnet} instead of @samp{netcat}
14533 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
14534 @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things like
14535 line-end-conversion, but sometimes @code{netcat} is simply not available.
14537 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
14540 @item nntp-telnet-command
14541 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
14542 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
14543 intermediate host. The default is @samp{telnet}.
14545 @item nntp-telnet-switches
14546 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
14547 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
14548 @code{nntp-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{("-8")}.
14550 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
14551 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
14552 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
14553 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
14555 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14556 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14557 List of strings to be used as the switches to
14558 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. If you use @samp{ssh}, you may need to set
14559 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
14560 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
14561 host. The default is @code{nil}.
14564 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
14565 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14567 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
14568 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
14569 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
14570 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
14572 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
14575 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
14576 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
14577 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
14580 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
14581 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
14582 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
14583 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
14585 @item nntp-via-user-password
14586 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
14587 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
14589 @item nntp-via-envuser
14590 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
14591 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
14592 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
14593 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
14595 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
14596 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
14597 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
14598 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
14602 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
14603 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14607 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
14612 @item nntp-via-user-name
14613 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
14614 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
14616 @item nntp-via-address
14617 @vindex nntp-via-address
14618 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
14623 @node Common Variables
14624 @subsubsection Common Variables
14626 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
14627 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
14628 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
14629 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
14630 variables individually).
14634 @item nntp-pre-command
14635 @vindex nntp-pre-command
14636 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
14637 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
14638 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
14639 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
14642 @vindex nntp-address
14643 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14645 @item nntp-port-number
14646 @vindex nntp-port-number
14647 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14648 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
14649 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
14650 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
14651 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
14652 not work with named ports.
14654 @item nntp-end-of-line
14655 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
14656 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
14657 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
14658 using a non native telnet connection function.
14660 @item nntp-netcat-command
14661 @vindex nntp-netcat-command
14662 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
14663 @samp{netcat}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
14664 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14667 @item nntp-netcat-switches
14668 @vindex nntp-netcat-switches
14669 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-netcat-command}. The default
14675 @subsubsection NNTP marks
14676 @cindex storing NNTP marks
14678 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
14679 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
14680 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
14681 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
14682 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
14683 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
14684 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
14685 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
14687 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
14688 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
14689 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
14690 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
14691 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14693 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
14694 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
14695 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
14696 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
14697 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
14698 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
14699 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
14701 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
14702 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
14703 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14709 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
14710 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
14711 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
14712 default is @code{nil}.
14714 @item nntp-marks-directory
14715 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
14716 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
14722 @subsection News Spool
14726 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
14727 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
14728 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
14731 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
14732 anything else) as the address.
14734 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
14735 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
14736 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
14737 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
14741 @item nnspool-inews-program
14742 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
14743 Program used to post an article.
14745 @item nnspool-inews-switches
14746 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
14747 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
14749 @item nnspool-spool-directory
14750 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
14751 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
14752 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
14754 @item nnspool-nov-directory
14755 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
14756 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
14757 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
14759 @item nnspool-lib-dir
14760 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
14761 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
14763 @item nnspool-active-file
14764 @vindex nnspool-active-file
14765 The name of the active file.
14767 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
14768 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
14769 The name of the group descriptions file.
14771 @item nnspool-history-file
14772 @vindex nnspool-history-file
14773 The name of the news history file.
14775 @item nnspool-active-times-file
14776 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
14777 The name of the active date file.
14779 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
14780 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
14781 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
14784 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14785 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14787 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
14788 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
14789 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
14795 @node Using @acronym{IMAP}
14796 @section Using @acronym{IMAP}
14799 The most popular mail backend is probably @code{nnimap}, which
14800 provides access to @acronym{IMAP} servers. @acronym{IMAP} servers
14801 store mail remotely, so the client doesn't store anything locally.
14802 This means that it's a convenient choice when you're reading your mail
14803 from different locations, or with different user agents.
14806 * Connecting to an @acronym{IMAP} Server:: Getting started with @acronym{IMAP}.
14807 * Customizing the @acronym{IMAP} Connection:: Variables for @acronym{IMAP} connection.
14808 * Client-Side @acronym{IMAP} Splitting:: Put mail in the correct mail box.
14812 @node Connecting to an @acronym{IMAP} Server
14813 @subsection Connecting to an @acronym{IMAP} Server
14815 Connecting to an @acronym{IMAP} can be very easy. Type @kbd{B} in the
14816 group buffer, or add something like the following to your secondary
14820 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14821 '((nnimap "imap.gmail.com")))
14824 You'll be prompted for a user name and password. If you grow tired of
14825 that, then add the following to your @file{~/.authinfo} file:
14828 machine imap.gmail.com login <username> password <password> port imap
14831 That should basically be it for most users.
14834 @node Customizing the @acronym{IMAP} Connection
14835 @subsection Customizing the @acronym{IMAP} Connection
14837 Here's an example method that's more complex:
14840 (nnimap "imap.gmail.com"
14841 (nnimap-inbox "INBOX")
14842 (nnimap-split-methods ,nnmail-split-methods)
14844 (nnimap-stream 'ssl)
14845 (nnir-search-engine imap)
14846 (nnimap-expunge-inbox t))
14850 @item nnimap-address
14851 The address of the server, like @samp{imap.gmail.com}.
14853 @item nnimap-server-port
14854 If the server uses a non-standard port, that can be specified here. A
14855 typical port would be @samp{imap} or @samp{imaps}.
14857 @item nnimap-stream
14858 How @code{nnimap} should connect to the server. Possible values are:
14862 This is the default, and this uses standard
14863 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connection.
14866 Non-encrypted and unsafe straight socket connection.
14869 Encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS} over the normal @acronym{IMAP} port.
14872 If you need to tunnel via other systems to connect to the server, you
14873 can use this option, and customize @code{nnimap-shell-program} to be
14878 @item nnimap-authenticator
14879 Some @acronym{IMAP} servers allow anonymous logins. In that case,
14880 this should be set to @code{anonymous}.
14882 @item nnimap-streaming
14883 Virtually all @code{IMAP} server support fast streaming of data. If
14884 you have problems connecting to the server, try setting this to @code{nil}.
14889 @node Client-Side @acronym{IMAP} Splitting
14890 @subsection Client-Side @acronym{IMAP} Splitting
14892 Many people prefer to do the sorting/splitting of mail into their mail
14893 boxes on the @acronym{IMAP} server. That way they don't have to
14894 download the mail they're not all that interested in.
14896 If you do want to do client-side mail splitting, then the following
14897 variables are relevant:
14901 This is the @acronym{IMAP} mail box that will be scanned for new mail.
14903 @item nnimap-split-methods
14904 Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-methods} (@pxref{Splitting
14911 @section Getting Mail
14912 @cindex reading mail
14915 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
14919 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
14920 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
14921 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
14922 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
14923 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
14924 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
14925 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
14926 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
14927 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
14928 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
14929 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
14930 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
14931 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
14935 @node Mail in a Newsreader
14936 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
14938 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
14939 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
14940 of a culture shock.
14942 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
14943 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
14945 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
14946 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
14947 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
14948 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
14950 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
14952 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
14953 deleted? How awful!
14955 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
14956 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
14957 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
14958 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
14961 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
14962 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
14963 they want to treat a message.
14965 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
14966 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
14967 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
14968 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
14969 archived somewhere else.
14971 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
14972 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
14973 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
14974 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
14975 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
14977 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
14978 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
14979 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
14981 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
14982 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
14985 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
14986 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
14987 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
14988 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
14989 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
14991 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
14992 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
14993 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
14994 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
14995 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
14996 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
15000 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
15001 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
15003 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
15004 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
15005 and things will happen automatically.
15007 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
15008 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15011 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15014 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
15015 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
15016 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
15017 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
15018 like any other group.
15020 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
15023 (setq nnmail-split-methods
15024 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15025 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
15029 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
15030 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
15031 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
15034 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
15035 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
15036 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
15039 @node Splitting Mail
15040 @subsection Splitting Mail
15041 @cindex splitting mail
15042 @cindex mail splitting
15043 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
15045 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
15046 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
15047 to be split into groups.
15050 (setq nnmail-split-methods
15051 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15052 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
15053 ("mail.other" "")))
15056 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
15057 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
15058 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
15059 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
15060 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
15061 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
15062 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
15065 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
15069 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
15070 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15072 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15073 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
15074 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
15075 mail belongs in that group.
15077 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
15078 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
15079 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
15080 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
15081 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
15082 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
15083 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
15084 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
15085 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
15086 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
15088 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
15089 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
15090 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
15091 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
15092 thinks should carry this mail message.
15094 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
15095 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
15096 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
15097 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
15099 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
15100 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
15101 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
15102 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
15103 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
15105 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
15108 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
15109 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
15110 links. If that's the case for you, set
15111 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
15112 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
15114 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
15115 @findex nnmail-split-history
15116 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
15117 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
15118 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
15119 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
15122 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
15123 Header lines longer than the value of
15124 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
15127 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
15128 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
15129 By default, splitting does not decode headers, so you can not match on
15130 non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. But it is useful if you want to match
15131 articles based on the raw header data. To enable it, set the
15132 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} variable to a non-@code{nil} value.
15133 In addition, the value of the @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
15134 variable is used for decoding non-@acronym{MIME} encoded string when
15135 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} is non-@code{nil}. The default
15136 value is @code{nil} which means not to decode non-@acronym{MIME} encoded
15137 string. A suitable value for you will be @code{undecided} or be the
15138 charset used normally in mails you are interested in.
15140 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
15141 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
15142 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
15143 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
15144 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
15145 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
15146 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
15147 other kinds of entries.)
15149 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
15150 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
15151 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
15152 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
15153 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
15154 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
15155 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
15156 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
15157 month's rent money.
15161 @subsection Mail Sources
15163 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
15164 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
15165 maildir, for instance.
15168 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
15169 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
15170 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
15174 @node Mail Source Specifiers
15175 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
15177 @cindex mail server
15180 @cindex mail source
15182 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
15183 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
15188 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
15191 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
15192 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
15193 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
15196 The @code{mail-sources} is global for all mail groups. You can specify
15197 an additional mail source for a particular group by including the
15198 @code{group} mail specifier in @code{mail-sources}, and setting a
15199 @code{mail-source} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) specifying
15200 a single mail source. When this is used, @code{mail-sources} is
15201 typically just @code{(group)}; the @code{mail-source} parameter for a
15202 group might look like this:
15205 (mail-source . (file :path "home/user/spools/foo.spool"))
15208 This means that the group's (and only this group's) messages will be
15209 fetched from the spool file @samp{/user/spools/foo.spool}.
15211 The following mail source types are available:
15215 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
15221 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
15222 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
15223 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
15227 Script run before/after fetching mail.
15230 An example file mail source:
15233 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
15236 Or using the default file name:
15242 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
15243 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
15244 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
15245 mail spool while moving the mail.
15247 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
15251 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
15254 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
15258 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
15261 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
15263 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
15266 Alter this script to fit the @samp{movemail} and temporary
15267 file you want to use.
15271 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
15272 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
15273 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
15274 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
15275 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
15276 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
15277 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
15278 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
15279 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
15280 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
15282 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
15283 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
15284 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
15285 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
15291 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
15295 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
15299 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
15300 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
15301 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
15302 predicate are considered.
15306 Script run before/after fetching mail.
15310 An example directory mail source:
15313 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
15318 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
15324 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
15325 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
15328 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
15329 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
15330 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
15331 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
15332 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
15335 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
15339 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
15340 the user is prompted.
15343 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
15344 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
15347 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
15350 The valid format specifier characters are:
15354 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
15355 included in this string.
15358 The name of the server.
15361 The port number of the server.
15364 The user name to use.
15367 The password to use.
15370 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
15371 corresponding keywords.
15374 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
15375 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
15378 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
15379 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
15382 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
15383 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
15384 mail should be moved to.
15386 @item :authentication
15387 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
15388 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
15393 @vindex pop3-movemail
15394 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
15395 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
15396 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server}
15397 is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be left on the @acronym{POP} server
15398 after fetching when using @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers
15399 maintain no state information between sessions, so what the client
15400 believes is there and what is actually there may not match up. If they
15401 do not, then you may get duplicate mails or the whole thing can fall
15402 apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
15404 Here are some examples for getting mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
15405 Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server, using the default user
15406 name, and default fetcher:
15412 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
15415 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
15416 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
15419 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
15422 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
15426 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
15427 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
15428 contains exactly one mail.
15434 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
15435 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
15438 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
15439 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
15441 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
15442 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
15443 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
15446 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
15447 from locking problems).
15451 Two example maildir mail sources:
15454 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
15455 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
15459 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
15464 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
15465 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
15466 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
15467 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
15468 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{Using @acronym{IMAP}}, for more information.
15474 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
15475 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
15478 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
15479 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
15482 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
15486 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
15490 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
15491 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
15492 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
15493 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
15495 @item :authentication
15496 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
15497 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
15498 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
15499 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
15502 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
15503 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
15504 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
15510 Make sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g.,
15511 don't forget to redirect the error output to the void. The valid format
15512 specifier characters are:
15516 The name of the server.
15519 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
15522 The port number of the server.
15525 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
15526 corresponding keywords.
15529 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
15530 which normally is the mailbox which receives incoming mail.
15533 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
15534 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
15535 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
15536 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
15537 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
15538 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
15541 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
15542 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
15543 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
15544 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
15547 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
15548 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
15552 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
15555 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
15557 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
15561 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
15562 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
15563 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
15565 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
15566 required for url "4.0pre.46".
15568 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
15574 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
15575 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
15578 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
15582 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
15586 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
15587 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
15591 An example webmail source:
15594 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
15596 :password "secret")
15600 Get the actual mail source from the @code{mail-source} group parameter,
15601 @xref{Group Parameters}.
15606 @item Common Keywords
15607 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
15613 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
15614 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
15619 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
15624 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
15625 useful when you use local mail and news.
15630 @subsubsection Function Interface
15632 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
15633 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
15634 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
15635 consider the following mail-source setting:
15638 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
15639 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
15642 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
15643 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
15644 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
15645 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
15646 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
15648 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
15651 @node Mail Source Customization
15652 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
15654 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
15655 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
15659 @item mail-source-crash-box
15660 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
15661 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
15662 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
15665 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
15666 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
15667 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
15668 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
15669 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
15670 (the deletion will only happen when receiving new mail). You may also
15671 set @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
15672 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
15673 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{10} in alpha Gnusae
15674 and @code{2} in released Gnusae. @xref{Gnus Development}.
15676 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15677 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15678 If non-@code{nil}, ask for confirmation before deleting old incoming
15679 files. This variable only applies when
15680 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
15682 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
15683 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
15684 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
15686 @item mail-source-directory
15687 @vindex mail-source-directory
15688 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
15689 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
15690 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
15691 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
15693 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15694 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15695 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
15696 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
15697 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
15698 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
15701 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
15702 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
15703 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
15705 @item mail-source-movemail-program
15706 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
15707 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
15708 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
15713 @node Fetching Mail
15714 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
15716 @vindex mail-sources
15717 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
15718 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
15719 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
15721 If this variable is @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to
15722 fetch mail by themselves.
15724 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
15725 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
15730 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15731 :password "secret")))
15734 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
15738 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
15739 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15742 :password "secret")))
15746 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
15747 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
15748 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
15749 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
15750 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
15751 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
15755 @node Mail Back End Variables
15756 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
15758 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
15762 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15763 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15764 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
15765 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
15767 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
15768 @item nnmail-split-hook
15769 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
15770 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
15771 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
15772 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
15773 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
15774 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
15775 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
15776 in the buffer will show up in any files.
15777 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
15780 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15781 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15782 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15783 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15784 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
15785 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
15786 starting to handle the new mail) and
15787 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
15788 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
15789 default file modes the new mail files get:
15792 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15793 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
15795 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15796 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
15799 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
15800 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
15801 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
15802 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
15803 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
15804 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
15805 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
15807 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
15808 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
15809 @findex delete-file
15810 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
15812 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15813 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15814 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
15815 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
15816 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
15818 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15819 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15820 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
15821 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
15822 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
15824 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
15825 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
15826 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
15831 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
15832 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
15833 @cindex mail splitting
15834 @cindex fancy mail splitting
15836 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
15837 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
15838 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
15839 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
15840 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
15841 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
15843 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
15846 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
15847 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
15848 ;; @r{from real errors.}
15849 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
15851 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
15852 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
15853 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
15854 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
15855 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
15856 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
15857 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
15858 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
15859 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
15860 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
15861 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
15862 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
15863 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
15864 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
15865 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
15866 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
15867 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
15871 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
15872 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
15873 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
15878 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
15879 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
15881 @c Don't fold this line.
15882 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
15883 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
15884 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
15885 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
15888 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
15889 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
15890 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
15891 @var{split} is processed.
15893 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
15894 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
15895 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
15896 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15898 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
15899 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
15900 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
15901 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
15902 stored in one or more groups.
15904 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
15905 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
15906 process all @var{split}s in the list.
15909 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
15910 this message. Use with extreme caution.
15912 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
15913 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
15914 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
15915 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
15918 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
15919 body of the messages:
15922 (defun split-on-body ()
15926 (goto-char (point-min))
15927 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
15931 The buffer is narrowed to the header of the message in question when
15932 @var{function} is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called
15933 after @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
15934 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
15935 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
15936 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
15937 (@pxref{Client-Side @acronym{IMAP} Splitting}).
15939 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
15940 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
15941 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
15942 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
15943 should return a split.
15946 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
15950 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
15952 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
15953 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
15954 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
15955 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
15959 (any "joe" "joemail")
15963 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
15964 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
15965 of the following three ways:
15969 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
15970 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
15971 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
15972 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
15973 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
15976 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
15979 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
15980 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
15981 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
15982 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
15983 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
15986 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
15987 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
15988 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
15989 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15990 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
15991 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15992 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15995 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
15996 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
15997 they are expanded as specified by the variable
15998 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
15999 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
16000 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
16001 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
16005 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
16007 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
16008 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
16010 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
16013 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
16014 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
16015 when all this splitting is performed.
16017 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
16018 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
16019 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
16022 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
16025 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
16026 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
16028 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
16029 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
16030 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
16031 groupings 1 through 9.
16033 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
16034 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
16035 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
16036 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
16037 groups when users send to an address using different case
16038 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
16041 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
16042 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
16043 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
16044 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
16045 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
16046 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
16047 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
16048 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
16049 it once per thread.
16051 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
16052 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
16053 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
16054 using the colon feature, like so:
16056 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
16057 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
16059 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
16060 ;; @r{other splits go here}
16064 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
16065 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
16066 in the file specified by the variable
16067 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
16068 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
16069 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
16070 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
16071 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
16072 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
16073 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
16074 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
16075 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
16076 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
16077 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
16078 300 kBytes in size.)
16079 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
16080 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
16081 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
16082 messages goes into the new group.
16084 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
16085 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
16086 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
16087 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
16088 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
16089 ``outgoing'' group.
16092 @node Group Mail Splitting
16093 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
16094 @cindex mail splitting
16095 @cindex group mail splitting
16097 @findex gnus-group-split
16098 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
16099 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
16100 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
16101 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
16102 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
16103 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
16104 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
16105 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
16107 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
16108 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
16109 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
16110 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
16112 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
16113 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
16114 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
16115 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
16116 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
16117 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
16118 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
16120 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
16121 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
16122 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
16123 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
16124 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
16125 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
16126 @code{gnus-group-split}.
16128 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
16129 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
16130 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
16131 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
16132 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
16133 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
16134 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
16135 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
16136 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
16137 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
16138 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
16139 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
16140 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
16142 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
16147 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
16148 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
16150 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
16151 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
16152 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
16153 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
16155 ((split-spec . catch-all))
16158 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
16159 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
16160 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
16163 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
16164 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
16165 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
16169 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
16170 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
16171 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
16175 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
16178 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
16179 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
16180 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
16181 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
16182 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
16183 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
16184 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
16185 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
16186 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
16188 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
16189 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
16190 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
16191 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
16192 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
16193 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
16194 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
16195 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
16196 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
16198 @findex gnus-group-split-update
16199 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
16200 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
16201 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
16202 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
16203 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
16206 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
16209 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
16210 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
16211 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
16212 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
16213 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
16216 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
16217 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
16218 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
16219 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
16221 @node Incorporating Old Mail
16222 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
16223 @cindex incorporating old mail
16224 @cindex import old mail
16226 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
16227 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
16228 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
16231 Doing so can be quite easy.
16233 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
16234 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
16235 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
16236 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
16237 your @code{nnml} groups.
16243 Go to the group buffer.
16246 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
16247 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
16250 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
16253 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
16254 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16257 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
16258 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
16261 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
16262 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
16263 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
16264 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
16265 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
16267 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
16268 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
16269 using the new mail back end.
16272 @node Expiring Mail
16273 @subsection Expiring Mail
16274 @cindex article expiry
16275 @cindex expiring mail
16277 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
16278 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
16279 different approach to mail reading.
16281 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
16282 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
16283 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
16284 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
16285 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
16286 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
16289 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
16290 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
16291 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
16292 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
16293 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
16294 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
16295 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
16296 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
16297 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
16299 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
16300 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
16301 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
16302 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
16303 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
16304 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
16305 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
16308 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
16309 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
16310 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
16311 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
16312 into its own group.)
16314 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
16315 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
16316 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
16317 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
16318 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
16319 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
16320 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
16321 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
16324 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
16325 Groups that match the regular expression
16326 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
16327 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
16328 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
16330 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
16331 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
16332 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
16333 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
16334 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
16336 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
16338 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
16339 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
16340 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
16343 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
16344 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
16345 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
16346 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
16347 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
16349 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
16350 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
16353 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
16354 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
16357 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
16358 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
16360 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
16361 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
16362 don't really mix very well.
16364 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
16365 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
16366 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
16367 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
16370 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
16371 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
16372 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
16373 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
16376 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16378 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16380 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
16382 ((string= group "mail.junk")
16384 ((string= group "important")
16390 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
16391 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
16393 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
16394 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
16395 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
16398 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
16399 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16401 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
16402 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
16403 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
16404 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
16405 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
16406 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
16407 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
16408 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
16409 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
16410 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
16411 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
16412 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
16413 name or @code{delete}.
16415 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
16417 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
16420 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
16421 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
16422 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
16423 expire mail to groups according to the variable
16424 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
16427 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
16428 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
16429 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
16430 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
16431 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
16434 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
16435 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
16436 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
16437 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
16438 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
16439 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
16441 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
16442 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
16443 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
16444 easier for procmail users.
16446 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
16447 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
16448 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
16449 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
16450 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
16451 caution. Even more dangerous is the
16452 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
16453 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
16454 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
16455 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
16456 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
16457 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
16458 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
16461 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
16463 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
16464 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
16465 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
16466 auto-expire turned on.
16468 @vindex gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable
16469 The expirable marks of articles will be removed when copying or moving
16470 them to a group in which auto-expire is not turned on. This is for
16471 preventing articles from being expired unintentionally. On the other
16472 hand, to a group that has turned auto-expire on, the expirable marks of
16473 articles that are copied or moved will not be changed by default. I.e.,
16474 when copying or moving to such a group, articles that were expirable
16475 will be left expirable and ones that were not expirable will not be
16476 marked as expirable. So, even though in auto-expire groups, some
16477 articles will never get expired (unless you read them again). If you
16478 don't side with that behavior that unexpirable articles may be mixed
16479 into auto-expire groups, you can set
16480 @code{gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable} to a
16481 non-@code{nil} value. In that case, articles that have been read will
16482 be marked as expirable automatically when being copied or moved to a
16483 group that has auto-expire turned on. The default value is @code{nil}.
16487 @subsection Washing Mail
16488 @cindex mail washing
16489 @cindex list server brain damage
16490 @cindex incoming mail treatment
16492 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
16493 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
16494 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
16495 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
16496 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
16497 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
16499 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
16500 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
16501 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
16504 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
16505 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
16506 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
16507 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
16510 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
16511 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
16512 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
16513 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
16514 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
16517 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
16518 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
16519 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
16520 Emacs running on MS machines.
16524 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
16525 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
16526 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
16527 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
16530 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
16531 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
16532 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
16533 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
16535 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
16536 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
16537 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
16538 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
16539 into a feature by documenting it.)
16541 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
16542 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
16543 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
16544 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
16545 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
16546 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
16547 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
16550 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
16551 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
16554 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
16555 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
16558 This can also be done non-destructively with
16559 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
16561 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
16562 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
16563 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
16565 @item nnmail-ignore-broken-references
16566 @findex nnmail-ignore-broken-references
16567 @c @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
16570 Some mail user agents (e.g. Eudora and Pegasus) produce broken
16571 @code{References} headers, but correct @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This
16572 function will get rid of the @code{References} header if the headers
16573 contain a line matching the regular expression
16574 @code{nnmail-broken-references-mailers}.
16578 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
16579 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
16580 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
16584 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
16585 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
16586 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
16593 @subsection Duplicates
16595 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
16596 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
16597 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
16598 @cindex duplicate mails
16599 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
16600 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
16601 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
16602 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
16603 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
16604 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
16605 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
16606 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
16607 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
16608 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
16609 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
16610 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
16611 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
16613 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
16614 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
16615 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
16616 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
16618 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
16621 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
16622 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
16626 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
16627 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
16628 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
16629 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
16630 (any mail "mail.misc")
16631 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16637 (setq nnmail-split-methods
16638 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
16639 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16643 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
16644 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
16645 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
16646 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
16647 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
16650 @node Not Reading Mail
16651 @subsection Not Reading Mail
16653 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
16654 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
16655 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
16657 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
16658 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
16659 mail, which should help.
16661 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16662 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16663 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16664 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16665 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16666 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
16667 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old (pre-Emacs
16668 23) Rmail file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
16669 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
16670 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
16671 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
16673 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
16674 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
16678 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
16679 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
16681 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
16682 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
16683 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
16685 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
16686 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
16687 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
16691 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
16692 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
16693 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
16694 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
16695 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
16696 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
16697 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
16702 @node Unix Mail Box
16703 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
16705 @cindex unix mail box
16707 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16708 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16709 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
16710 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
16711 which group it belongs in.
16713 Virtual server settings:
16716 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
16717 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16718 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
16721 @item nnmbox-active-file
16722 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16723 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
16724 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
16726 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
16727 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16728 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
16729 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
16734 @subsubsection Babyl
16737 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16738 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16739 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box to store mail.
16740 @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail article to say which
16741 group it belongs in.
16743 Virtual server settings:
16746 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
16747 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16748 The name of the Babyl file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
16750 @item nnbabyl-active-file
16751 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16752 The name of the active file for the Babyl file. The default is
16753 @file{~/.rmail-active}
16755 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16756 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16757 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
16763 @subsubsection Mail Spool
16765 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
16767 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
16768 format. It should be used with some caution.
16770 @vindex nnml-directory
16771 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
16772 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
16773 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
16774 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
16776 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
16779 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
16780 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
16781 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
16782 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
16783 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
16784 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
16785 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
16786 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
16788 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
16789 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
16790 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
16791 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
16793 @cindex self contained nnml servers
16795 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
16796 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
16797 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
16798 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
16799 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
16800 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
16801 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
16802 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
16805 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
16806 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
16807 them next time it starts.
16809 Virtual server settings:
16812 @item nnml-directory
16813 @vindex nnml-directory
16814 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
16815 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
16818 @item nnml-active-file
16819 @vindex nnml-active-file
16820 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
16821 @file{~/Mail/active}.
16823 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
16824 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
16825 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16826 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
16828 @item nnml-get-new-mail
16829 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16830 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
16833 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
16834 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
16835 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16836 default is @code{nil}.
16838 @item nnml-nov-file-name
16839 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
16840 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
16842 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16843 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16844 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
16846 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
16847 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
16848 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
16849 default is @code{nil}.
16851 @item nnml-marks-file-name
16852 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
16853 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
16855 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
16856 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
16857 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
16858 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
16859 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
16860 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
16861 as the file extension specifying the compression program. You can set it
16862 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
16863 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
16865 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16866 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16867 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
16868 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
16869 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
16873 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
16874 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
16875 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
16876 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
16877 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
16878 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
16879 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
16884 @subsubsection MH Spool
16886 @cindex mh-e mail spool
16888 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
16889 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
16890 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
16891 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
16894 Virtual server settings:
16897 @item nnmh-directory
16898 @vindex nnmh-directory
16899 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
16900 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
16903 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
16904 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16905 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
16909 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
16910 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
16911 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
16912 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
16913 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
16914 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
16915 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
16920 @subsubsection Maildir
16924 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
16925 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
16926 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
16927 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
16928 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
16931 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
16932 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
16933 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
16934 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
16935 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
16936 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
16937 that appear as group in Gnus.
16939 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
16940 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
16941 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
16943 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
16944 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
16945 another, and you will keep your marks.
16947 Virtual server settings:
16951 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
16952 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
16953 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
16954 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
16955 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
16956 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
16957 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
16958 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
16959 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
16960 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
16962 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
16963 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
16964 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
16965 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
16966 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
16967 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
16968 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
16969 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
16970 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
16971 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
16974 @item target-prefix
16975 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
16976 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
16977 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
16980 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
16981 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
16982 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
16983 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
16984 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
16985 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
16986 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
16987 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
16988 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
16990 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
16991 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
16992 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
16993 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
16994 symlinks pointing to them will be).
16996 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
16997 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
16998 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
16999 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
17000 @code{force} argument.
17002 @item directory-files
17003 This should be a function with the same interface as
17004 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
17005 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
17006 parameter is optional; the default is
17007 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
17008 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
17009 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
17010 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
17011 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
17012 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
17015 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
17016 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
17017 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
17018 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
17019 value is @code{nil}.
17021 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
17022 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
17023 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
17024 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
17025 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
17028 @subsubsection Group parameters
17030 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
17031 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
17032 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
17033 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
17034 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
17035 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
17038 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
17039 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
17040 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
17041 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
17042 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
17043 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
17044 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
17045 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
17046 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
17050 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
17051 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
17052 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
17053 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
17054 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
17055 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
17056 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
17057 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
17058 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
17059 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
17060 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
17061 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
17062 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
17065 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
17067 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
17069 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
17070 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
17071 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
17072 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
17073 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
17074 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
17075 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
17076 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
17077 article. So that form can refer to
17078 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
17079 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
17080 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
17081 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
17084 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
17085 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
17086 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
17087 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
17088 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
17089 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
17090 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
17091 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
17092 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
17093 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
17094 contain extra copies of the articles.
17096 @item directory-files
17097 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
17098 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
17099 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
17100 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
17102 @item distrust-Lines:
17103 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
17104 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
17105 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
17108 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
17109 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
17110 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
17111 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
17112 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
17113 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
17116 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
17117 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
17118 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
17119 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
17120 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
17121 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
17122 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
17124 @item nov-cache-size
17125 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
17126 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
17127 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
17128 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
17129 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
17130 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
17131 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
17132 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
17133 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
17134 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
17135 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
17138 @subsubsection Article identification
17139 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
17140 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
17141 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
17142 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
17143 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
17144 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
17145 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
17146 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
17147 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
17148 request the article in the summary buffer.
17150 @subsubsection NOV data
17151 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
17152 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
17153 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
17154 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
17155 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
17156 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
17157 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
17158 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
17159 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
17160 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
17161 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
17163 @subsubsection Article marks
17164 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
17165 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
17166 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
17167 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
17168 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
17169 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
17170 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
17171 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
17173 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
17174 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
17175 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
17176 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
17177 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
17178 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
17179 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
17180 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
17181 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
17185 @subsubsection Mail Folders
17187 @cindex mbox folders
17188 @cindex mail folders
17190 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
17191 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
17192 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
17193 numbers and arrival dates.
17195 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
17197 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
17198 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
17199 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
17200 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
17201 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
17202 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
17203 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
17204 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
17205 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
17206 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
17208 Virtual server settings:
17211 @item nnfolder-directory
17212 @vindex nnfolder-directory
17213 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
17214 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
17215 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
17217 @item nnfolder-active-file
17218 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
17219 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
17221 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
17222 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
17223 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
17224 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
17226 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
17227 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
17228 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
17229 default is @code{t}
17231 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
17232 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
17233 @cindex backup files
17234 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
17235 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
17236 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
17237 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
17240 (defun turn-off-backup ()
17241 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
17243 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
17246 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
17247 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
17248 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
17249 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
17250 extract some information from it before removing it.
17252 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
17253 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
17254 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
17255 default is @code{nil}.
17257 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
17258 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
17259 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
17261 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
17262 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
17263 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
17264 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
17266 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
17267 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
17268 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
17269 default is @code{nil}.
17271 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
17272 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
17273 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
17275 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
17276 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
17277 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
17278 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
17283 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
17284 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
17285 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
17286 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
17287 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
17288 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
17291 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
17292 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
17294 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
17295 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
17296 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
17297 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
17298 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
17300 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
17301 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
17302 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
17303 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
17304 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
17305 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
17306 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
17307 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
17310 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
17311 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
17312 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
17313 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
17318 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
17319 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
17320 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
17321 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
17322 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
17323 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
17324 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
17325 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
17326 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
17327 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
17328 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
17329 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
17330 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
17335 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
17336 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
17337 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
17338 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
17339 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
17340 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
17341 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
17342 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
17343 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
17344 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
17345 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
17346 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
17347 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
17348 course, and is still maintained within Emacs. Since Emacs 23, it
17349 uses standard mbox format rather than Babyl.
17351 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
17352 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
17357 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
17358 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
17359 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
17360 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
17361 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
17362 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
17363 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
17364 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
17365 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
17366 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
17367 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
17368 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
17369 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
17370 provided by the active file and overviews.
17372 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
17373 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
17374 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
17375 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
17376 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
17379 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
17380 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
17385 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
17386 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
17387 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
17388 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
17389 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
17390 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
17391 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
17395 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
17396 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
17397 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
17398 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
17399 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
17400 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
17401 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
17402 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
17403 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
17405 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
17406 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
17407 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
17408 friendly mail back end all over.
17412 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
17413 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
17416 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
17417 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
17418 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
17419 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
17420 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
17421 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
17422 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
17423 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
17426 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
17427 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
17428 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
17429 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
17430 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
17431 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
17432 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
17433 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
17434 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
17435 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
17436 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
17438 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
17439 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
17440 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
17441 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
17442 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
17445 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
17446 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
17447 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
17448 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
17449 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
17450 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
17451 removed in the future.
17453 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
17454 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
17455 on your file system.
17457 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
17458 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
17463 @node Browsing the Web
17464 @section Browsing the Web
17466 @cindex browsing the web
17470 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
17471 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
17472 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
17473 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
17474 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
17475 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
17476 even know what a news group is.
17478 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
17479 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
17480 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
17481 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
17482 you mad in the end.
17484 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
17487 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
17488 interfaces to these sources.
17492 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
17493 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
17494 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
17497 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
17498 alternatives to work.
17500 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
17501 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
17502 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
17503 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
17504 though, you should be ok.
17506 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
17507 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
17508 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
17509 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
17510 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
17512 @node Archiving Mail
17513 @subsection Archiving Mail
17514 @cindex archiving mail
17515 @cindex backup of mail
17517 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
17518 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
17519 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
17520 marks is fairly simple.
17522 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
17523 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
17526 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
17527 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
17528 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
17529 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
17530 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
17531 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
17532 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
17533 before you restore the data.
17535 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
17536 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
17537 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
17538 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
17539 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
17540 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
17541 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
17542 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
17543 is unnecessary in that case.
17546 @subsection Web Searches
17551 @cindex Usenet searches
17552 @cindex searching the Usenet
17554 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
17555 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
17556 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
17557 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
17558 searches without having to use a browser.
17560 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
17561 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
17562 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
17563 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
17564 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
17566 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
17567 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
17568 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
17569 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
17570 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
17571 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
17572 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
17573 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
17574 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
17575 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
17578 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
17579 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
17580 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
17581 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
17582 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
17583 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
17585 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
17586 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
17587 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
17589 Virtual server variables:
17594 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
17595 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
17596 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
17599 @vindex nnweb-search
17600 The search string to feed to the search engine.
17602 @item nnweb-max-hits
17603 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
17604 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
17607 @item nnweb-type-definition
17608 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
17609 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
17610 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
17615 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
17619 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
17622 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
17625 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
17629 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
17640 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
17641 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
17642 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
17643 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
17644 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
17646 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
17647 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
17649 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
17650 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
17651 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
17654 @kindex G R (Group)
17655 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
17656 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
17657 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
17658 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
17660 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
17661 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
17662 subscribe to groups.
17664 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
17665 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
17666 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
17667 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
17668 variable or other. Also @xref{Non-ASCII Group Names}, for more
17671 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
17672 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
17673 and a @samp{text/html} part.
17676 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
17677 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
17680 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
17681 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
17685 @defun nnrss-opml-export
17686 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
17687 @acronym{OPML} format.
17690 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
17693 @item nnrss-directory
17694 @vindex nnrss-directory
17695 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
17696 @file{~/News/rss/}.
17698 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
17699 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
17700 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
17701 data files. The default is the value of
17702 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
17703 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
17705 @item nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17706 @vindex nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17707 Some feeds update constantly article fields during their publications,
17708 e.g. to indicate the number of comments. However, if there is
17709 a difference between the local article and the distant one, the latter
17710 is considered to be new. To avoid this and discard some fields, set this
17711 variable to the list of fields to be ignored. The default is
17712 @code{'(slash:comments)}.
17714 @item nnrss-use-local
17715 @vindex nnrss-use-local
17716 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
17717 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
17718 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
17719 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
17720 download script using @command{wget}.
17722 @item nnrss-wash-html-in-text-plain-parts
17723 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{nnrss} renders text in @samp{text/plain}
17724 parts as @acronym{HTML}. The function specified by the
17725 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} variable (@pxref{Display Customization,
17726 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) will be used
17727 to render text. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default, text will
17728 simply be folded. Leave it @code{nil} if you prefer to see
17729 @samp{text/html} parts.
17732 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
17733 the summary buffer.
17736 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
17737 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
17739 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
17741 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
17742 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
17745 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
17749 (require 'browse-url)
17751 (defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
17753 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
17756 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
17757 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
17760 (browse-url (cdr url))
17761 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
17762 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
17764 (eval-after-load "gnus"
17765 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
17766 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
17767 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
17770 Even if you have added @samp{text/html} to the
17771 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
17772 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
17773 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
17774 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
17775 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
17776 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
17777 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
17778 @code{nnrss} groups:
17781 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
17782 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
17784 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
17785 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
17786 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
17788 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
17791 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
17795 @node Customizing W3
17796 @subsection Customizing W3
17802 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
17803 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
17804 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
17807 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
17808 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
17809 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
17812 (eval-after-load "w3"
17814 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
17815 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
17816 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
17817 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
17819 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
17822 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
17823 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
17827 @node Other Sources
17828 @section Other Sources
17830 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
17831 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
17835 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
17836 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
17837 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
17838 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
17842 @node Directory Groups
17843 @subsection Directory Groups
17845 @cindex directory groups
17847 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
17848 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
17851 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
17852 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
17853 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
17854 back end to read directories. Big deal.
17856 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
17857 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
17858 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
17859 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
17860 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
17862 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
17864 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
17865 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
17866 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
17867 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
17870 @node Anything Groups
17871 @subsection Anything Groups
17874 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
17875 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
17876 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
17879 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
17880 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
17881 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
17882 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
17883 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
17884 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
17885 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
17886 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
17887 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
17888 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
17891 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
17892 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
17893 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
17894 in the article buffer, just as usual.
17896 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
17897 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
17898 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
17899 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
17901 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
17902 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
17903 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
17904 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
17905 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
17906 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
17907 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
17908 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
17913 @item nneething-map-file-directory
17914 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
17915 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
17916 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
17918 @item nneething-exclude-files
17919 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
17920 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
17921 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
17923 @item nneething-include-files
17924 @vindex nneething-include-files
17925 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
17926 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
17928 @item nneething-map-file
17929 @vindex nneething-map-file
17930 Name of the map files.
17934 @node Document Groups
17935 @subsection Document Groups
17937 @cindex documentation group
17940 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
17941 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
17951 The standard Unix mbox file.
17953 @cindex MMDF mail box
17955 The MMDF mail box format.
17958 Several news articles appended into a file.
17960 @cindex rnews batch files
17962 The rnews batch transport format.
17965 Netscape mail boxes.
17968 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17970 @item standard-digest
17971 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17974 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17976 @item lanl-gov-announce
17977 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17979 @cindex forwarded messages
17980 @item rfc822-forward
17981 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17984 The Outlook mail box.
17987 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17990 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17993 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17996 An RFC934-forwarded message.
18002 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
18005 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
18011 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
18012 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
18013 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
18016 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
18017 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
18018 group. And that's it.
18020 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
18021 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
18022 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
18023 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
18024 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
18025 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
18026 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
18027 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
18028 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
18029 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
18031 Virtual server variables:
18034 @item nndoc-article-type
18035 @vindex nndoc-article-type
18036 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
18037 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
18038 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
18039 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
18040 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
18042 @item nndoc-post-type
18043 @vindex nndoc-post-type
18044 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
18045 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
18050 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
18054 @node Document Server Internals
18055 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
18057 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
18058 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
18059 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
18060 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
18062 First, here's an example document type definition:
18066 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
18067 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
18070 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
18071 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
18072 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
18073 types can be defined with very few settings:
18076 @item first-article
18077 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
18078 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
18081 @item article-begin
18082 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
18083 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
18084 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
18085 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
18087 @item article-begin-function
18088 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
18089 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
18092 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
18093 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
18094 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
18096 @item head-begin-function
18097 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
18098 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
18101 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
18102 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
18105 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
18106 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
18107 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
18109 @item body-begin-function
18110 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
18111 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
18114 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
18115 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
18116 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
18118 @item body-end-function
18119 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
18120 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
18123 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
18124 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
18127 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
18128 regexp will be totally ignored.
18132 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
18133 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
18134 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
18135 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
18136 something that's palatable for Gnus:
18139 @item prepare-body-function
18140 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
18141 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
18142 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
18144 @item article-transform-function
18145 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
18146 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
18147 body of the article.
18149 @item generate-head-function
18150 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
18151 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
18152 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
18153 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
18155 @item generate-article-function
18156 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
18157 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
18158 parameter when requesting all articles.
18160 @item dissection-function
18161 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
18162 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
18163 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
18164 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
18165 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
18166 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
18170 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
18175 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
18176 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
18177 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
18178 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
18179 (head-end . "^ ?$")
18180 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
18181 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
18182 (subtype digest guess))
18185 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
18186 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
18187 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
18188 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
18189 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
18191 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
18192 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
18193 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
18194 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
18195 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
18196 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
18197 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
18198 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
18199 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
18200 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
18201 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
18202 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
18205 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
18206 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
18207 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
18210 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
18211 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
18212 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
18214 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
18220 @item nngateway-address
18221 @vindex nngateway-address
18222 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
18224 @item nngateway-header-transformation
18225 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
18226 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
18227 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
18228 transformation should be called, and defaults to
18229 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
18230 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
18233 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
18234 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
18235 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
18238 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
18241 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
18244 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
18247 The following pre-defined functions exist:
18249 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18252 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18253 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18254 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
18256 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18258 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18259 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18260 @code{nngateway-address}.
18268 (setq gnus-post-method
18270 "mail2news@@replay.com"
18271 (nngateway-header-transformation
18272 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
18275 So, to use this, simply say something like:
18278 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
18283 @node Combined Groups
18284 @section Combined Groups
18286 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
18290 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
18294 @node Virtual Groups
18295 @subsection Virtual Groups
18297 @cindex virtual groups
18298 @cindex merging groups
18300 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
18303 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
18304 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
18305 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
18307 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
18308 regexp to match component groups.
18310 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
18311 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
18312 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
18313 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
18314 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
18315 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
18316 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
18317 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
18319 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
18320 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
18323 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
18326 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
18327 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
18329 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
18330 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
18331 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
18332 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
18335 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
18338 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
18339 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
18340 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
18342 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
18343 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
18344 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
18345 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
18346 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
18348 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
18349 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
18350 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
18352 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
18353 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
18354 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
18355 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
18356 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
18357 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
18358 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
18359 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
18360 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
18361 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
18362 it---it'll have much the same effect.
18364 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
18365 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
18366 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
18367 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
18368 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
18369 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
18370 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
18372 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
18373 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
18375 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
18376 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
18380 @node Email Based Diary
18381 @section Email Based Diary
18383 @cindex email based diary
18386 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
18387 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
18388 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
18389 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
18390 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
18391 namely, as event reminders.
18393 Here is a typical scenario:
18397 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
18398 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
18400 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
18402 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
18404 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
18405 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
18406 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
18408 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
18409 of the night you're gonna have.
18411 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
18412 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
18415 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
18416 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
18417 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
18418 explained in the sections below.
18421 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
18422 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
18423 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
18427 @node The NNDiary Back End
18428 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
18430 @cindex the nndiary back end
18432 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
18433 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
18434 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
18435 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
18436 directory per group.
18438 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
18439 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
18440 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
18441 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
18444 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
18445 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
18446 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
18449 @node Diary Messages
18450 @subsubsection Diary Messages
18451 @cindex nndiary messages
18452 @cindex nndiary mails
18454 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
18455 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
18456 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
18457 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
18458 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
18459 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
18460 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
18464 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
18465 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
18466 (separated by a comma).
18468 A field is either an integer, or a range.
18470 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
18472 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
18473 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
18474 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
18476 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
18477 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
18478 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
18480 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
18481 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
18482 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
18483 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
18484 list of available time zone values, see the variable
18485 @code{nndiary-headers}.
18488 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
18489 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
18490 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
18495 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
18498 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
18500 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
18503 @node Running NNDiary
18504 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
18505 @cindex running nndiary
18506 @cindex nndiary operation modes
18508 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
18509 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
18510 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
18511 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
18512 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
18513 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
18515 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
18516 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
18517 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
18518 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
18519 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
18520 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
18521 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
18524 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
18529 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
18530 line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
18533 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
18536 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
18537 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
18538 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
18539 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
18540 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
18542 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
18543 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
18552 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
18553 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
18555 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
18556 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18557 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
18558 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
18561 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
18562 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18563 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
18566 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
18567 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
18568 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
18570 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
18571 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
18572 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
18573 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
18574 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
18576 @node Customizing NNDiary
18577 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
18578 @cindex customizing nndiary
18579 @cindex nndiary customization
18581 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
18582 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
18583 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
18584 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
18586 @defvar nndiary-reminders
18587 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
18588 appointments (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
18589 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
18590 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
18594 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
18595 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
18600 @node The Gnus Diary Library
18601 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
18603 @cindex the gnus diary library
18605 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
18606 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
18607 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
18608 useful things for you.
18610 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
18613 (require 'gnus-diary)
18616 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
18617 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
18618 (sorry if you used them before).
18622 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
18623 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
18624 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
18625 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
18628 @node Diary Summary Line Format
18629 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
18630 @cindex diary summary buffer line
18631 @cindex diary summary line format
18633 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
18634 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
18635 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
18636 see the event's date.
18638 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
18639 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
18640 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
18641 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
18642 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
18644 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
18645 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
18646 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
18649 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
18652 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
18653 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
18656 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
18659 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
18660 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
18661 with the following user options:
18663 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
18664 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
18665 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
18666 diary groups'parameters.
18669 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
18670 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
18671 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18674 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18675 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18676 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18677 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18678 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18681 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18682 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18683 @cindex diary articles sorting
18684 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18685 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18686 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18687 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18689 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18690 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18691 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18692 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18693 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18695 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18696 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18697 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18698 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18701 @node Diary Headers Generation
18702 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18703 @cindex diary headers generation
18704 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18706 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18707 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18708 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18709 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18712 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18713 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18714 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c C-f d} in
18715 @code{message-mode} and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the
18716 process of converting a usual mail to a diary one.
18718 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18719 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18720 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18723 @node Diary Group Parameters
18724 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18725 @cindex diary group parameters
18727 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18728 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18729 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18730 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18731 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18732 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18733 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18734 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18736 @node Sending or Not Sending
18737 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18739 Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
18740 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18744 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18745 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18746 appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18747 sending the diary message to them as well.
18749 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18750 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18751 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18752 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18755 @node Gnus Unplugged
18756 @section Gnus Unplugged
18761 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18763 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18764 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18765 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18766 read news. Believe it or not.
18768 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18769 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18770 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18771 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18772 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18774 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18775 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18776 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18777 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18778 reading news on a machine.
18780 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18781 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18782 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18784 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18787 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18788 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18789 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18790 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18791 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18792 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18793 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18794 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
18795 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18796 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18797 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18798 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18799 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18800 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18805 @subsection Agent Basics
18807 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18809 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18810 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18811 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18812 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18814 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18815 connected to the net continuously.
18817 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18818 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18820 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18821 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18822 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18823 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18824 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18826 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18827 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18828 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18829 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18830 they're kinda like plugged always).
18832 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18833 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18834 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18837 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18838 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18839 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18840 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18841 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18843 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18848 @findex gnus-unplugged
18849 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18850 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18851 already fetched while in this mode.
18854 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18855 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18856 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18857 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18858 Source Specifiers}).
18861 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18862 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18863 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18864 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18865 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18868 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18869 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18870 then you read the news offline.
18873 And then you go to step 2.
18876 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18882 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18883 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18884 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18885 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18886 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18887 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18888 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
18889 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
18892 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18893 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18894 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18895 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18897 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18898 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18899 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18900 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18901 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18902 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18906 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18910 @node Agent Categories
18911 @subsection Agent Categories
18913 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18914 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18915 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18916 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18917 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18918 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18919 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18921 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18922 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18923 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18924 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18925 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18927 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18928 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18929 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18930 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18931 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18934 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18935 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18936 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18937 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18938 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18939 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18943 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18944 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18945 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18949 @node Category Syntax
18950 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18952 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18953 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18954 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18957 @cindex Agent Parameters
18960 The list of groups that are in this category.
18962 @item agent-predicate
18963 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18964 are eligible for downloading; and
18967 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18968 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18969 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18971 @item agent-enable-expiration
18972 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18973 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18974 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18975 only groups that should not be expired.
18977 @item agent-days-until-old
18978 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18979 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18981 @item agent-low-score
18982 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18984 @item agent-high-score
18985 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18987 @item agent-short-article
18988 an integer that overrides the value of
18989 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18991 @item agent-long-article
18992 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18994 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18995 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18996 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18997 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18998 undownloaded faces.
19001 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
19004 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
19005 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
19006 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
19009 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
19010 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
19011 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
19012 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
19014 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
19015 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
19016 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
19018 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
19019 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
19020 operators sprinkled in between.
19022 Perhaps some examples are in order.
19024 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
19025 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
19031 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
19032 short (for some value of ``short'').
19034 Here's a more complex predicate:
19043 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
19044 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
19047 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
19048 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
19049 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
19051 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
19052 you want to do, you can write your own.
19054 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
19055 bound to the value determined by calling
19056 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
19057 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
19058 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
19059 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
19060 predicate to individual groups.
19064 True if the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
19065 lines; default 100.
19068 True if the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
19069 lines; default 200.
19072 True if the article has a download score less than
19073 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
19076 True if the article has a download score greater than
19077 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
19080 True if the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
19081 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
19082 checksum and sees whether articles match.
19091 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
19092 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
19093 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
19096 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
19097 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
19098 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
19099 something along the lines of the following:
19102 (defun my-article-old-p ()
19103 "Say whether an article is old."
19104 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
19105 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
19108 with the predicate then defined as:
19111 (not my-article-old-p)
19114 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
19115 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
19119 (require 'gnus-agent)
19120 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
19121 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
19122 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
19125 and simply specify your predicate as:
19131 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
19132 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
19133 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
19134 just don't give a damn.
19136 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
19137 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
19138 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
19139 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
19140 parameters like so:
19143 (agent-predicate . short)
19146 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
19147 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
19148 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
19150 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
19153 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
19156 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
19157 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
19158 predicate is assumed to be a list.
19161 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
19162 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
19163 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
19164 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
19165 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
19166 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
19168 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
19169 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
19170 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
19171 if it's to be specific to that group.
19173 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
19180 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
19181 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
19187 Category specification
19191 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19197 Group/Topic Parameter specification
19200 (agent-score ("from"
19201 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19206 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
19212 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
19213 keywords stated above.
19219 Category specification
19222 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
19228 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
19232 Group Parameter specification
19235 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
19238 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
19243 Use @code{normal} score files
19245 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
19246 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
19247 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
19248 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
19250 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
19251 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
19252 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
19253 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
19257 Category Specification
19264 Group Parameter specification
19267 (agent-score . file)
19272 @node Category Buffer
19273 @subsubsection Category Buffer
19275 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
19276 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
19277 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
19279 The following commands are available in this buffer:
19283 @kindex q (Category)
19284 @findex gnus-category-exit
19285 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
19288 @kindex e (Category)
19289 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
19290 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
19291 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
19294 @kindex k (Category)
19295 @findex gnus-category-kill
19296 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
19299 @kindex c (Category)
19300 @findex gnus-category-copy
19301 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
19304 @kindex a (Category)
19305 @findex gnus-category-add
19306 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
19309 @kindex p (Category)
19310 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
19311 Edit the predicate of the current category
19312 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
19315 @kindex g (Category)
19316 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
19317 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
19318 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
19321 @kindex s (Category)
19322 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
19323 Edit the download score rule of the current category
19324 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
19327 @kindex l (Category)
19328 @findex gnus-category-list
19329 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
19333 @node Category Variables
19334 @subsubsection Category Variables
19337 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
19338 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
19339 Hook run in category buffers.
19341 @item gnus-category-line-format
19342 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
19343 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
19344 Variables}). Valid elements are:
19348 The name of the category.
19351 The number of groups in the category.
19354 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
19355 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
19356 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
19358 @item gnus-agent-short-article
19359 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
19360 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
19362 @item gnus-agent-long-article
19363 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
19364 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
19366 @item gnus-agent-low-score
19367 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
19368 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
19371 @item gnus-agent-high-score
19372 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
19373 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
19376 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
19377 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19378 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
19379 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
19380 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
19381 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
19382 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
19383 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
19387 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
19388 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
19389 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
19390 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
19391 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
19392 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
19393 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
19398 @node Agent Commands
19399 @subsection Agent Commands
19400 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
19401 @kindex J j (Agent)
19403 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
19404 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
19405 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
19409 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
19410 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
19411 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
19417 @node Group Agent Commands
19418 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
19422 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
19423 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
19424 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
19425 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
19428 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
19429 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
19430 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
19433 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
19434 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
19435 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
19436 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
19439 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
19440 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
19441 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
19442 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
19445 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
19446 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
19447 Add the current group to an Agent category
19448 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
19449 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19452 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
19453 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
19454 Remove the current group from its category, if any
19455 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
19456 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19459 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
19460 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19461 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
19467 @node Summary Agent Commands
19468 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
19472 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
19473 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
19474 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
19477 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
19478 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
19479 Remove the downloading mark from the article
19480 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
19484 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
19485 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
19486 Toggle whether to download the article
19487 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
19491 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
19492 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
19493 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
19496 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
19497 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
19498 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
19499 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
19502 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
19503 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
19504 Download all processable articles in this group.
19505 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
19508 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
19509 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
19510 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
19511 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
19516 @node Server Agent Commands
19517 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
19521 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
19522 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
19523 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
19524 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
19527 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
19528 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
19529 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
19530 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
19535 @node Agent Visuals
19536 @subsection Agent Visuals
19538 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
19539 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
19540 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
19541 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
19542 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
19543 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
19544 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
19545 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
19546 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
19547 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
19549 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
19550 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
19551 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
19552 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
19553 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
19554 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
19555 the download status of each article so that you always know which
19556 articles will be available when unplugged.
19558 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
19559 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
19560 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
19561 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
19562 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
19563 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
19564 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
19565 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
19567 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
19568 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
19569 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
19570 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
19571 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
19572 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
19573 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
19574 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
19575 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
19577 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
19578 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
19579 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
19580 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
19581 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
19582 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
19583 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
19584 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
19585 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
19586 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
19588 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
19589 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
19590 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
19591 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
19592 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
19593 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19595 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
19596 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
19597 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
19598 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
19599 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
19600 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
19601 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
19602 expiring'' articles.
19604 @node Agent as Cache
19605 @subsection Agent as Cache
19607 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
19608 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
19609 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
19610 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
19611 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
19612 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
19613 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
19614 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
19615 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
19617 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
19618 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
19619 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
19620 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
19621 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
19624 @subsection Agent Expiry
19626 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19627 @findex gnus-agent-expire
19628 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
19629 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
19630 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
19631 @cindex agent expiry
19632 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
19633 @cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
19635 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
19636 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
19637 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
19638 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
19639 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
19640 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
19641 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
19642 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
19644 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
19645 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
19646 synchronized with the group.
19648 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
19649 prevent expiration in selected groups.
19651 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
19652 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
19653 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
19654 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
19655 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
19656 be kept indefinitely.
19658 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
19659 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
19660 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
19661 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
19663 @node Agent Regeneration
19664 @subsection Agent Regeneration
19666 @cindex agent regeneration
19667 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
19668 @cindex regeneration
19670 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19671 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19672 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19673 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19674 internal inconsistencies.
19676 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19677 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19678 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19679 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19680 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19681 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19683 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19684 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19685 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19686 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19687 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19688 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19690 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19691 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19692 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19693 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19694 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19695 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19698 @node Agent and flags
19699 @subsection Agent and flags
19701 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
19702 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
19703 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
19704 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
19705 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
19706 to the flags in its own files.
19708 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
19709 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
19710 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19712 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19713 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19714 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19715 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19716 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19717 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19719 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19720 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19721 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19722 in the group buffer.
19724 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19725 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
19726 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19727 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
19728 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19729 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19730 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19731 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19733 @node Agent and IMAP
19734 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19736 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19737 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19738 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19739 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19741 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19742 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19747 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19750 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19754 @node Outgoing Messages
19755 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19757 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19758 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19759 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19761 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19762 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19763 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19765 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19766 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19767 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19768 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19771 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19772 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19773 ask you to confirm your action (see
19774 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19776 @node Agent Variables
19777 @subsection Agent Variables
19782 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19783 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19784 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19785 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19787 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19788 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19791 @item gnus-agent-directory
19792 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19793 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19794 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19796 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19797 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19798 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19799 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19800 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19803 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19804 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19805 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19807 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19808 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19809 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19811 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19812 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19813 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19815 @item gnus-agent-cache
19816 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19817 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19818 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19819 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19821 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19822 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19823 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19824 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19825 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19826 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19827 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19830 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19831 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19832 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19833 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19834 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19835 read. The default is @code{t}.
19837 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19838 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19839 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19840 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19841 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19842 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19843 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19845 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19846 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19847 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19848 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19849 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19850 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19851 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19852 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19853 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19854 over and over again.
19856 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19857 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19858 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19859 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19860 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19861 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19862 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19863 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19864 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19865 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19866 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
19867 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19870 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19871 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19872 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19873 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19874 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19875 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19876 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19877 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19878 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19880 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19881 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19882 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19883 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19884 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19885 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19887 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19888 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19889 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19890 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19891 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19893 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19894 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19895 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19896 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19897 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19898 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19900 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19901 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19902 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19903 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19904 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19906 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19907 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19908 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19909 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19910 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19911 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19912 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19913 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19914 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19915 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19916 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
19921 @node Example Setup
19922 @subsection Example Setup
19924 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19925 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19926 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19929 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19930 ;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19931 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19933 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19934 ;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19935 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19937 ;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19938 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19940 ;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19941 ;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19942 ;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19945 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19946 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19949 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19950 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19951 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19952 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19953 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19956 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19957 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19958 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19959 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19960 back all the killed groups.)
19962 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19963 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19964 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19967 @node Batching Agents
19968 @subsection Batching Agents
19969 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19971 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19972 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19973 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19975 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19976 following incantation:
19980 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19984 @node Agent Caveats
19985 @subsection Agent Caveats
19987 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19988 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19992 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19994 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19995 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19996 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19998 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19999 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
20001 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
20005 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
20006 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
20007 locally stored articles.
20014 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
20015 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
20016 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
20019 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
20020 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
20021 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
20022 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
20023 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
20025 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
20026 before generating the summary buffer.
20028 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
20029 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
20030 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
20032 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
20033 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
20034 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
20035 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
20038 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
20039 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
20040 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
20041 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
20042 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
20043 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
20044 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
20045 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
20046 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
20047 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
20048 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
20049 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
20050 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
20051 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
20052 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
20053 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
20057 @node Summary Score Commands
20058 @section Summary Score Commands
20059 @cindex score commands
20061 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
20062 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
20063 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
20064 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
20065 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
20067 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
20068 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
20069 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
20070 score file the current one.
20072 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
20077 @kindex V s (Summary)
20078 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
20079 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
20082 @kindex V S (Summary)
20083 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
20084 Display the score of the current article
20085 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
20088 @kindex V t (Summary)
20089 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
20090 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
20091 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
20092 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
20093 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
20094 score file and edit it.
20097 @kindex V w (Summary)
20098 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
20099 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
20102 @kindex V R (Summary)
20103 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
20104 Run the current summary through the scoring process
20105 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
20106 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
20107 effect you're having.
20110 @kindex V c (Summary)
20111 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
20112 Make a different score file the current
20113 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
20116 @kindex V e (Summary)
20117 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
20118 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
20119 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
20123 @kindex V f (Summary)
20124 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
20125 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
20126 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
20129 @kindex V F (Summary)
20130 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20131 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
20132 after editing score files.
20135 @kindex V C (Summary)
20136 @findex gnus-score-customize
20137 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
20138 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
20142 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
20147 @kindex V m (Summary)
20148 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
20149 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
20150 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
20153 @kindex V x (Summary)
20154 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
20155 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
20156 expunge all articles below this score
20157 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
20160 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
20161 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
20164 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
20165 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
20169 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
20170 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
20172 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
20173 keys are available:
20177 Score on the author name.
20180 Score on the subject line.
20183 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
20186 Score on the @code{References} line.
20192 Score on the number of lines.
20195 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
20198 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
20199 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
20202 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
20203 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
20204 @file{ADAPT} files.)
20213 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
20219 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
20220 what headers you are scoring on.
20232 Substring matching.
20235 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
20264 Greater than number.
20269 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
20270 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
20271 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
20276 Temporary score entry.
20279 Permanent score entry.
20282 Immediately scoring.
20286 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
20287 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
20288 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
20292 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
20293 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
20294 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
20295 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
20297 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
20298 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
20299 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
20300 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
20301 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
20303 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
20304 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
20305 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
20306 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
20307 current score file.
20309 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
20310 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
20311 pretend they are keymaps or not.
20314 @node Group Score Commands
20315 @section Group Score Commands
20316 @cindex group score commands
20318 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
20323 @kindex W e (Group)
20324 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
20325 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
20326 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
20329 @kindex W f (Group)
20330 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20331 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
20332 all the time. This command will flush the cache
20333 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
20337 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
20339 @findex gnus-batch-score
20340 @cindex batch scoring
20342 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
20346 @node Score Variables
20347 @section Score Variables
20348 @cindex score variables
20352 @item gnus-use-scoring
20353 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
20354 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
20355 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
20357 @item gnus-kill-killed
20358 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
20359 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
20360 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
20361 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
20362 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
20363 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
20364 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
20366 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
20367 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
20368 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
20369 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
20370 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
20372 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
20373 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
20374 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
20375 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
20377 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
20378 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
20379 @cindex score cache
20380 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
20381 score files. However, this might make your Emacs grow big and
20382 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
20383 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
20384 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
20385 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
20386 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
20389 @item gnus-save-score
20390 @vindex gnus-save-score
20391 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
20392 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
20393 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
20395 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
20396 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
20397 across group visits.
20399 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
20400 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
20401 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
20402 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
20403 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
20404 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
20405 manually entered data.
20407 @item gnus-summary-default-score
20408 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
20409 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
20411 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
20412 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
20413 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
20414 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
20415 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
20416 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
20418 @item gnus-score-over-mark
20419 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
20420 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
20421 default. Default is @samp{+}.
20423 @item gnus-score-below-mark
20424 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
20425 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
20426 default. Default is @samp{-}.
20428 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
20429 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
20430 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
20431 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
20433 Predefined functions available are:
20436 @item gnus-score-find-single
20437 @findex gnus-score-find-single
20438 Only apply the group's own score file.
20440 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
20441 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
20442 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
20443 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
20444 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
20445 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
20446 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
20447 then a regexp match is done.
20449 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
20450 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
20452 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
20453 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
20454 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
20455 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
20457 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
20458 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
20459 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
20460 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
20461 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
20465 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
20466 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
20467 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
20468 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
20469 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
20470 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
20471 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
20474 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
20475 overall score file, you could use the value
20477 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
20478 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
20481 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
20482 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
20483 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
20484 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
20485 are expired. It's 7 by default.
20487 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
20488 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
20489 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
20490 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
20491 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
20492 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
20493 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
20494 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
20496 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
20497 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
20498 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
20500 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
20501 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
20502 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
20503 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
20504 threading---according to the current value of
20505 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
20506 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
20507 simplified in this manner.
20512 @node Score File Format
20513 @section Score File Format
20514 @cindex score file format
20516 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
20517 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
20518 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
20520 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
20524 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
20526 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
20528 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
20530 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
20535 (mark-and-expunge -10)
20539 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
20540 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
20541 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
20542 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
20546 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
20547 Scoring}, for a different approach.
20549 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
20550 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
20551 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
20553 Six keys are supported by this alist:
20558 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
20559 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
20560 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
20561 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
20562 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
20563 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
20564 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
20565 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
20566 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
20567 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
20568 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
20569 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
20570 to articles that matches these score entries.
20572 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
20573 score entry has one to four elements.
20577 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
20578 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
20582 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
20583 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
20584 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
20585 is successful. If this element is not present, the
20586 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
20587 instead. This is 1000 by default.
20590 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
20591 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
20592 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
20593 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
20594 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
20597 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
20598 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
20599 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
20600 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
20603 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
20604 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
20605 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
20606 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
20607 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
20608 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
20609 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
20610 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
20611 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
20612 instead, if you feel like.
20615 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
20616 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
20617 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
20618 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
20619 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
20620 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
20624 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
20625 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
20629 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
20630 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
20632 These predicates are true if
20635 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
20638 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
20639 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
20646 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
20647 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
20648 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
20649 it's not. I think.)
20651 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
20652 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
20653 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
20654 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
20657 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
20658 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
20659 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
20660 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
20661 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
20662 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
20663 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
20667 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
20668 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
20669 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
20670 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
20671 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
20672 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
20673 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
20674 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
20677 @item Head, Body, All
20678 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20682 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20683 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20684 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20685 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20686 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20687 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20688 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20692 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20693 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20694 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20695 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20696 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20697 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20698 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20699 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20700 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20701 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20702 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20706 @cindex score file atoms
20708 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20709 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20712 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20713 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20715 @item mark-and-expunge
20716 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20717 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20720 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20721 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20722 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20723 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20724 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20727 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20728 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20731 @item exclude-files
20732 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20733 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20737 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}ed. This element will be
20738 ignored when handling global score files.
20741 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20742 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20743 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20744 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20747 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20748 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20749 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20750 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20752 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20756 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20759 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20760 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20761 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{c y}) the
20762 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20763 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20765 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20766 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20767 scoring rules exist.
20770 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20771 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20772 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20773 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20774 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20775 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20776 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20777 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20778 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20779 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20780 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20784 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20785 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20786 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20787 file for a number of groups.
20790 @cindex local variables
20791 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20792 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20793 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20794 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20795 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20800 @node Score File Editing
20801 @section Score File Editing
20803 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20804 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20805 with a mode for that.
20807 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20808 additional commands:
20813 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20814 @findex gnus-score-edit-exit
20815 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20816 (@code{gnus-score-edit-exit}).
20819 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20820 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20821 Insert the current date in numerical format
20822 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20823 you were wondering.
20826 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20827 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20828 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20829 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20830 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20835 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20837 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20838 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20840 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20841 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20844 @node Adaptive Scoring
20845 @section Adaptive Scoring
20846 @cindex adaptive scoring
20848 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20849 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20850 stupidity, to be precise.
20852 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20853 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20854 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20855 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20856 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20857 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20858 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20859 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20860 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20862 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20863 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20864 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20865 might look something like this:
20868 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20869 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20870 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20871 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20872 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20873 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20874 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20875 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20876 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20877 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20878 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20879 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20882 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20883 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20884 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20885 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20886 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20887 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20890 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20891 will be applied to each article.
20893 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20894 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20895 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20896 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20898 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20899 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20900 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20901 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20903 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20904 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20905 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20906 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20908 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20909 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20910 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20911 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20912 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20913 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20915 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20916 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20917 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20919 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20920 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20921 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20923 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20924 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20925 let you use different rules in different groups.
20927 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20928 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20929 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20932 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20933 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20934 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20935 default) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20937 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20938 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20939 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20940 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20941 the length of the match is less than
20942 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20943 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20946 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20947 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20948 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20949 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20950 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20953 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20954 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20955 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20956 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20957 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20960 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20961 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20962 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20963 score with 30 points.
20965 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20966 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20967 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20968 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20969 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20971 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20972 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20973 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20974 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20975 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20977 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20978 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20979 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20980 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20982 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20983 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20984 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20985 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20987 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20988 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20989 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20990 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20991 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20993 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20994 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20995 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20997 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20998 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20999 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
21000 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
21003 @node Home Score File
21004 @section Home Score File
21006 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
21007 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
21008 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
21009 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
21011 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
21012 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
21013 could perhaps use the same home score file.
21015 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
21016 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
21021 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
21025 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
21026 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
21030 A list. The elements in this list can be:
21034 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
21035 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
21038 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
21039 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
21040 name of the group as the parameter.
21043 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
21046 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
21051 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
21054 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21055 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
21058 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
21059 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
21061 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
21063 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21064 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
21067 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
21068 Other functions include
21071 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
21072 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
21073 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
21074 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
21078 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
21079 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
21080 their own home score files:
21083 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21084 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
21085 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
21086 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
21087 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
21090 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
21091 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
21092 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
21093 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
21094 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
21096 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
21097 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
21098 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
21099 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
21100 precedence over this variable.
21103 @node Followups To Yourself
21104 @section Followups To Yourself
21106 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
21107 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
21108 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
21109 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
21110 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
21111 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
21115 @item gnus-score-followup-article
21116 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
21117 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
21120 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
21121 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
21122 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
21126 @vindex message-sent-hook
21127 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
21128 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
21130 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
21134 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
21135 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
21139 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21140 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21143 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
21144 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
21149 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
21153 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
21154 is system-dependent.
21157 @node Scoring On Other Headers
21158 @section Scoring On Other Headers
21159 @cindex scoring on other headers
21161 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
21162 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
21163 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
21164 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
21165 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
21167 @vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
21168 You can inhibit this slow scoring on headers or body by setting the
21169 variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
21170 @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
21171 the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
21172 inhibited for all groups.
21174 Now, there's not much you can do about the slowness for news groups, but for
21175 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
21176 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
21177 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
21178 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
21180 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21183 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
21184 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
21187 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
21188 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
21189 time if you have much mail.
21191 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
21192 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
21198 @section Scoring Tips
21199 @cindex scoring tips
21205 @cindex scoring crossposts
21206 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
21207 the @code{Xref} header.
21209 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
21212 @item Multiple crossposts
21213 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
21214 more than, say, 3 groups:
21217 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
21221 @item Matching on the body
21222 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
21223 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
21224 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
21225 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
21226 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
21227 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
21228 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
21231 @item Marking as read
21232 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
21233 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
21234 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
21238 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
21240 @item Negated character classes
21241 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
21242 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
21243 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
21247 @node Reverse Scoring
21248 @section Reverse Scoring
21249 @cindex reverse scoring
21251 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
21252 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
21253 like this in your score file:
21257 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
21262 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
21263 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
21266 @node Global Score Files
21267 @section Global Score Files
21268 @cindex global score files
21270 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
21271 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
21272 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
21274 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
21275 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
21276 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
21278 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
21279 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
21280 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
21281 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
21282 files are applicable to which group.
21284 To use the score file
21285 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
21286 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
21290 (setq gnus-global-score-files
21291 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
21292 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
21295 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
21297 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
21298 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
21299 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
21300 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
21302 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
21303 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
21305 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
21306 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
21307 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
21308 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
21309 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
21310 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
21312 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
21318 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
21320 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
21322 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
21324 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
21325 lowered out of existence.
21327 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
21328 articles completely.
21331 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
21332 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
21333 old articles for a long time.
21336 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
21337 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
21338 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
21339 holding our breath yet?
21343 @section Kill Files
21346 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
21347 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
21348 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
21350 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
21351 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
21352 files into score files.
21354 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
21355 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
21356 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
21357 that isn't a very good idea.
21359 Normal kill files look like this:
21362 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21363 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
21367 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
21368 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
21370 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
21371 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
21374 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
21379 @kindex M-k (Summary)
21380 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
21381 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
21384 @kindex M-K (Summary)
21385 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
21386 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
21389 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
21394 @kindex M-k (Group)
21395 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
21396 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
21399 @kindex M-K (Group)
21400 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
21401 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
21404 Kill file variables:
21407 @item gnus-kill-file-name
21408 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
21409 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
21410 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
21411 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
21412 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
21413 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
21415 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
21416 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
21417 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
21418 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
21421 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
21422 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
21423 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
21424 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
21425 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
21426 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
21427 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
21428 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
21429 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
21431 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
21432 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
21433 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
21438 @node Converting Kill Files
21439 @section Converting Kill Files
21441 @cindex converting kill files
21443 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
21444 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
21445 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
21448 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Emacs by default.
21449 You can fetch it from the contrib directory of the Gnus distribution or
21451 @uref{http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
21453 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
21454 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
21455 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
21459 @node Advanced Scoring
21460 @section Advanced Scoring
21462 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
21463 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
21464 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
21465 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
21466 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
21468 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
21472 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
21473 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
21474 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
21478 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
21479 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
21481 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
21482 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
21483 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
21484 non-@code{nil} value.
21486 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
21487 operator, and various match operators.
21494 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
21495 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
21496 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
21501 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
21502 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
21503 then this operator will return @code{false}.
21508 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
21509 logical negation of the value of its argument.
21513 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
21514 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
21515 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
21516 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
21517 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
21518 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
21519 the ancestry you want to go.
21521 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
21522 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
21523 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
21524 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
21525 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
21528 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
21529 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
21531 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
21532 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
21535 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
21536 when he's talking about Gnus:
21541 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21542 ("subject" "Gnus"))
21549 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
21553 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21560 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
21561 really don't want to read what he's written:
21565 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21566 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
21570 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
21571 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
21572 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
21579 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
21580 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
21581 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
21582 ("body" "white.*socks"))
21586 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
21587 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
21588 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
21589 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
21592 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21594 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21598 The possibilities are endless.
21600 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
21601 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
21603 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
21604 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
21605 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
21606 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
21607 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
21608 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
21609 @samp{subject}) first.
21611 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
21612 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
21623 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
21624 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
21630 ("subject" "Gnus")))
21637 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
21638 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
21643 @section Score Decays
21644 @cindex score decays
21647 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
21648 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
21649 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
21650 use them in any sensible way.
21652 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
21653 @findex gnus-decay-score
21654 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
21655 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
21656 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
21657 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
21658 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
21659 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
21660 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
21661 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
21662 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
21663 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
21667 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
21668 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
21669 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
21671 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
21673 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
21675 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
21676 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
21677 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
21678 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21679 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21681 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21685 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21686 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21687 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21688 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21692 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21695 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21698 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21702 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21703 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21704 the new score, which should be an integer.
21706 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21707 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21712 @include message.texi
21713 @chapter Emacs MIME
21714 @include emacs-mime.texi
21716 @include sieve.texi
21728 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
21729 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
21730 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
21731 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
21732 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
21733 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
21734 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
21735 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
21736 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
21737 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
21738 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
21739 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
21740 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
21741 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
21742 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
21743 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
21744 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
21745 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
21746 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
21747 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
21748 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
21749 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
21753 @node Process/Prefix
21754 @section Process/Prefix
21755 @cindex process/prefix convention
21757 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
21758 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
21760 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
21761 command to be performed on.
21765 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
21766 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
21767 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
21768 with the current one.
21770 @vindex transient-mark-mode
21771 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
21772 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
21774 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
21775 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
21778 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
21779 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
21781 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
21784 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
21785 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
21786 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
21787 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21789 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
21790 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
21791 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
21792 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
21793 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
21794 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
21795 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
21796 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
21798 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
21799 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
21800 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
21801 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
21802 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
21806 @section Interactive
21807 @cindex interaction
21811 @item gnus-novice-user
21812 @vindex gnus-novice-user
21813 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
21814 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
21815 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
21816 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
21819 @item gnus-expert-user
21820 @vindex gnus-expert-user
21821 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
21822 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing,
21823 no matter how strange. For example, quitting Gnus, exiting a group
21824 without an update, catching up with a group, deleting expired
21825 articles, and replying by mail to a news message will not require
21828 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
21829 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
21830 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
21831 is @code{t} by default.
21833 @item gnus-interactive-exit
21834 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
21835 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21840 @node Symbolic Prefixes
21841 @section Symbolic Prefixes
21842 @cindex symbolic prefixes
21844 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
21845 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
21846 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
21847 rule of 900 to the current article.
21849 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
21850 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
21851 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
21852 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
21853 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
21854 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
21855 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
21857 @kindex M-i (Summary)
21858 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
21859 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
21860 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
21861 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
21862 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
21863 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
21864 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
21865 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
21867 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
21868 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
21869 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
21871 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
21875 @node Formatting Variables
21876 @section Formatting Variables
21877 @cindex formatting variables
21879 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
21880 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
21881 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
21882 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
21883 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
21886 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
21887 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
21888 lots of percentages everywhere.
21891 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
21892 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
21893 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
21894 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
21895 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
21896 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
21897 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
21898 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
21901 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
21902 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
21903 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
21904 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
21905 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
21906 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
21907 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
21908 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
21910 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
21911 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
21913 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
21914 @findex gnus-update-format
21915 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
21916 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
21917 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
21918 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
21922 @node Formatting Basics
21923 @subsection Formatting Basics
21925 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
21926 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
21927 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
21929 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
21930 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
21931 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
21932 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
21933 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
21936 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
21937 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
21938 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
21939 less than 4 characters wide.
21941 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
21942 @samp{%&user-date;}.
21945 @node Mode Line Formatting
21946 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
21948 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
21949 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
21950 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
21951 with the following two differences:
21956 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
21959 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
21960 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
21961 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
21962 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
21963 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
21964 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
21965 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
21970 @node Advanced Formatting
21971 @subsection Advanced Formatting
21973 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
21974 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
21975 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
21976 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
21978 These are the valid modifiers:
21983 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
21987 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
21992 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
21995 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
22000 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
22003 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
22006 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
22009 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
22015 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
22020 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
22021 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
22022 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
22023 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
22024 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
22025 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
22026 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
22028 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
22029 last operation, padding.
22031 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
22032 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
22033 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
22034 @xref{Compilation}.
22037 @node User-Defined Specs
22038 @subsection User-Defined Specs
22040 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
22041 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
22042 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
22043 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
22044 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
22045 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
22046 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
22047 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
22048 should protect against that.
22050 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
22051 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
22053 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
22054 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
22055 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
22056 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
22060 @node Formatting Fonts
22061 @subsection Formatting Fonts
22064 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22065 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
22066 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
22067 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
22068 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
22072 @vindex gnus-face-0
22073 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
22074 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
22075 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
22076 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
22077 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
22078 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
22080 @cindex %<<, %>>, guillemets
22081 @c @cindex %<<, %>>, %«, %», guillemets
22082 @vindex gnus-balloon-face-0
22083 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
22084 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
22085 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
22086 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
22087 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
22088 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
22089 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
22090 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
22091 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
22092 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
22093 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
22096 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
22099 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
22100 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
22101 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
22103 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
22104 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
22105 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
22106 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
22107 ;; @r{Set the color.}
22108 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
22109 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
22111 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
22112 (setq gnus-group-line-format
22113 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
22116 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
22117 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
22119 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
22120 mode-line variables.
22122 @node Positioning Point
22123 @subsection Positioning Point
22125 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
22126 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
22127 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
22129 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
22131 @findex gnus-goto-colon
22132 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
22133 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
22135 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
22136 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
22137 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
22142 @subsection Tabulation
22144 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
22145 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
22146 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
22147 about lining up the following text afterwards.
22149 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
22150 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
22152 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22153 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
22154 This is the soft tabulator.
22156 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22157 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
22158 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
22161 @node Wide Characters
22162 @subsection Wide Characters
22164 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
22165 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
22166 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
22168 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
22169 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
22170 these countries, that's not true.
22172 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
22173 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
22174 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
22175 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
22179 @node Window Layout
22180 @section Window Layout
22181 @cindex window layout
22183 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
22185 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
22186 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
22187 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
22188 @code{t} by default.
22190 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
22191 glitches. Use at your own peril.
22193 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
22194 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
22195 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
22198 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
22199 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
22200 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22204 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
22205 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
22206 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
22207 possible names is listed below.
22209 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
22210 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
22213 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22217 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
22218 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
22219 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
22220 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
22221 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
22222 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
22223 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
22224 size spec per split.
22226 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
22227 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
22228 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
22229 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
22230 present) gets focus.
22232 Here's a more complicated example:
22235 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
22236 (summary 0.25 point)
22237 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
22241 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
22242 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
22243 occupy, not a percentage.
22245 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
22246 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
22247 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
22248 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
22249 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
22252 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
22255 (article (horizontal 1.0
22260 (summary 0.25 point)
22265 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
22266 @code{horizontal} thingie?
22268 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
22269 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
22270 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
22271 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
22272 the screen is to be given to this strip.
22274 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
22275 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
22276 lines from the splits.
22278 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
22283 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
22284 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
22285 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
22286 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
22287 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
22288 size = number | frame-params
22289 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
22293 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
22294 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
22295 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
22296 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
22298 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
22299 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
22300 @cindex window height
22301 @cindex window width
22302 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
22303 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
22304 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
22305 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
22306 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
22307 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
22309 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
22310 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
22311 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
22312 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
22314 @findex gnus-configure-frame
22315 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
22316 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
22317 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
22318 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
22319 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
22320 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
22321 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
22322 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
22323 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
22324 configuration list.
22327 (gnus-configure-frame
22331 (article 0.3 point))
22339 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
22340 @code{frame} split:
22343 (gnus-configure-frame
22346 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
22348 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
22349 (user-position . t)
22350 (left . -1) (top . 1))
22355 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
22356 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
22357 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
22358 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
22359 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
22360 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
22361 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
22362 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
22364 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
22365 be found in its default value.
22367 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
22368 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
22369 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
22373 (message (horizontal 1.0
22374 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
22376 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
22381 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
22382 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
22383 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
22388 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
22389 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
22390 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
22391 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
22392 (name . "Message"))
22393 (message 1.0 point))))
22396 @findex gnus-add-configuration
22397 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
22398 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
22399 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
22400 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
22403 (gnus-add-configuration
22404 '(article (vertical 1.0
22406 (summary .25 point)
22410 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
22411 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
22412 Gnus has been loaded.
22414 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
22415 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
22416 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
22417 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
22418 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
22420 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
22421 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
22422 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
22425 @subsection Example Window Configurations
22429 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
22430 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
22445 (gnus-add-configuration
22448 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22450 (summary 0.16 point)
22453 (gnus-add-configuration
22456 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22457 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
22463 @node Faces and Fonts
22464 @section Faces and Fonts
22469 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
22470 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
22471 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
22476 @section Compilation
22477 @cindex compilation
22478 @cindex byte-compilation
22480 @findex gnus-compile
22482 Remember all those line format specification variables?
22483 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
22484 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
22485 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
22486 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
22487 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
22490 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
22491 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
22492 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
22493 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
22494 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
22495 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
22496 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
22500 @section Mode Lines
22503 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
22504 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
22505 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
22506 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
22507 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
22508 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
22509 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
22512 @cindex display-time
22514 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
22515 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
22516 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
22517 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
22518 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
22519 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
22520 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
22521 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
22524 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
22526 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
22527 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
22529 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
22530 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
22531 (length display-time-string)))))
22534 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
22535 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
22536 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
22537 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
22538 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
22541 @node Highlighting and Menus
22542 @section Highlighting and Menus
22544 @cindex highlighting
22547 @vindex gnus-visual
22548 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
22549 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
22550 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
22553 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
22554 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
22557 @item group-highlight
22558 Do highlights in the group buffer.
22559 @item summary-highlight
22560 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
22561 @item article-highlight
22562 Do highlights in the article buffer.
22564 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
22566 Create menus in the group buffer.
22568 Create menus in the summary buffers.
22570 Create menus in the article buffer.
22572 Create menus in the browse buffer.
22574 Create menus in the server buffer.
22576 Create menus in the score buffers.
22578 Create menus in all buffers.
22581 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
22582 buffers, you could say something like:
22585 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
22588 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
22591 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
22594 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
22595 in all Gnus buffers.
22597 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
22600 @item gnus-mouse-face
22601 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22602 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
22603 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
22607 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
22611 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
22612 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
22613 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
22615 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
22616 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
22617 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
22619 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
22620 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
22621 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
22623 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
22624 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
22625 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
22627 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
22628 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
22629 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
22631 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
22632 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
22633 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
22644 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
22645 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
22646 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
22647 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
22648 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
22652 @vindex gnus-carpal
22653 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
22654 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
22655 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
22660 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22661 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22662 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
22664 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
22665 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
22666 Face used on buttons.
22668 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
22669 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
22670 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
22672 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22673 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22674 Buttons in the group buffer.
22676 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22677 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22678 Buttons in the summary buffer.
22680 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22681 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22682 Buttons in the server buffer.
22684 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22685 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22686 Buttons in the browse buffer.
22689 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
22690 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
22691 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
22699 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
22700 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
22701 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
22702 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
22703 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
22705 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
22706 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
22707 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
22709 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
22710 been idle for thirty minutes:
22713 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
22716 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
22720 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
22723 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
22724 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
22725 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22727 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
22728 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
22729 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
22730 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22732 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
22733 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
22734 @var{idle} minutes.
22736 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
22737 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
22740 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
22741 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
22742 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
22744 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
22745 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
22746 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
22747 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
22749 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
22750 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22752 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
22754 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
22757 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
22758 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
22759 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
22760 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
22761 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
22762 @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
22763 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
22764 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
22765 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
22766 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
22768 @findex gnus-demon-init
22769 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
22770 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
22771 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
22772 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
22773 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
22775 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
22776 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
22777 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
22785 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
22786 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
22787 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
22789 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
22790 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
22791 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
22792 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
22793 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
22794 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
22795 @code{undo} function.
22797 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
22798 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
22799 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
22800 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
22801 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
22802 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
22803 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
22804 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
22805 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
22806 never be totally undoable.
22808 @findex gnus-undo-mode
22809 @vindex gnus-use-undo
22811 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
22812 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
22813 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
22814 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
22818 @node Predicate Specifiers
22819 @section Predicate Specifiers
22820 @cindex predicate specifiers
22822 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
22823 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
22824 to type all that much.
22826 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
22831 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
22832 gnus-article-unread-p)
22835 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
22836 functions all take one parameter.
22838 @findex gnus-make-predicate
22839 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
22840 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
22841 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
22846 @section Moderation
22849 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
22850 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
22851 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
22854 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
22858 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
22861 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
22863 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
22868 You split your incoming mail by matching on
22869 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
22870 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
22873 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
22874 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
22877 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
22878 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
22882 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
22885 (setq gnus-moderated-list
22886 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
22890 @node Fetching a Group
22891 @section Fetching a Group
22892 @cindex fetching a group
22894 @findex gnus-fetch-group
22895 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
22896 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
22897 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
22898 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
22899 It takes the group name as a parameter.
22902 @node Image Enhancements
22903 @section Image Enhancements
22905 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
22906 support images, Emacs 22 does.} and up, are able to display pictures and
22907 stuff, so Gnus has taken advantage of that.
22910 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
22911 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
22912 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
22913 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
22914 * Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
22915 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
22923 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
22924 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
22925 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
22929 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
22930 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
22931 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
22939 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
22940 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions have), or that you
22941 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
22942 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
22943 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
22944 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
22945 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends, see below. For XEmacs it's
22946 faster if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The
22947 default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
22948 @code{display} program.
22950 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is included in the
22951 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
22952 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
22953 On Windows, you may use the packages @code{netpbm} and @code{compface}
22954 from @url{http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net}. You need to add the
22955 @code{bin} directory to your @code{PATH} environment variable.
22956 @c In fact only the following DLLs and binaries seem to be required:
22957 @c compface1.dll uncompface.exe libnetpbm10.dll icontopbm.exe
22959 The variable @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} controls which programs
22960 are used to display the @code{X-Face} header. If this variable is a
22961 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
22962 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
22963 If @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches the
22964 @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
22966 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
22974 @vindex gnus-x-face
22975 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
22976 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
22977 default colors are black and white.
22979 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
22980 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
22981 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
22982 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
22983 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
22984 XEmacs. Here are examples:
22987 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
22988 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22989 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
22990 (png . (:ascent 80))))
22992 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
22993 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22994 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
22995 (png . (:relief -2))))
22998 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
22999 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
23000 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
23001 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
23002 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
23003 @samp{libcompface} library.
23006 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
23007 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
23008 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
23009 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
23010 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
23011 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
23013 @findex gnus-random-x-face
23014 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
23015 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
23016 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
23017 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
23018 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
23019 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
23020 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
23021 header data as a string.
23023 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
23024 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
23025 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
23026 randomly generated data.
23028 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
23029 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
23030 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
23031 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
23032 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
23034 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
23035 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23038 (setq message-required-news-headers
23039 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23040 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
23043 Using the last function would be something like this:
23046 (setq message-required-news-headers
23047 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23048 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
23049 (gnus-x-face-from-file
23050 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
23058 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
23060 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
23061 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
23062 represent the author of the message.
23065 @findex gnus-article-display-face
23066 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
23067 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
23070 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
23071 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
23073 Viewing an @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
23076 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
23078 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
23080 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
23081 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
23083 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
23084 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
23085 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
23087 @findex gnus-face-from-file
23088 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
23089 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
23090 converts the file to Face format by using the
23091 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
23093 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
23094 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23097 (setq message-required-news-headers
23098 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23099 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
23100 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
23105 @subsection Smileys
23110 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
23115 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
23116 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
23118 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
23119 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23122 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
23125 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
23126 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
23127 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
23128 text and maps that to file names.
23130 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
23131 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
23132 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
23133 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
23134 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
23137 The following variables customize the appearance of the smileys:
23142 @vindex smiley-style
23143 Specifies the smiley style. Predefined smiley styles include
23144 @code{low-color} (small 13x14 pixel, three-color images), @code{medium}
23145 (more colorful images, 16x16 pixel), and @code{grayscale} (grayscale
23146 images, 14x14 pixel). The default depends on the height of the default
23149 @item smiley-data-directory
23150 @vindex smiley-data-directory
23151 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files. You shouldn't set this
23152 variable anymore. Customize @code{smiley-style} instead.
23154 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
23155 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
23156 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
23170 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
23171 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
23172 over your shoulder as you read news.
23174 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
23183 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
23184 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
23185 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
23186 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
23187 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
23188 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
23189 @code{GIF} formats.
23192 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23193 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
23194 point your Web browser at
23195 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
23197 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
23198 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
23200 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
23201 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
23204 @vindex gnus-picon-style
23205 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
23206 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
23207 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
23209 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
23213 @item gnus-picon-databases
23214 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23215 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
23216 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
23217 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
23218 "/usr/local/faces")}.
23220 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
23221 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
23222 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23223 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
23225 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
23226 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
23227 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
23228 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
23230 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
23231 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
23232 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23233 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
23234 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
23236 @item gnus-picon-file-types
23237 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
23238 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
23239 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
23244 @subsection Gravatars
23248 \include{gravatars}
23252 A gravatar is an image registered to an e-mail address.
23254 You can submit yours on-line at @uref{http://www.gravatar.com}.
23256 The following variables offer control over how things are displayed.
23260 @item gnus-gravatar-size
23261 @vindex gnus-gravatar-size
23262 The size in pixels of gravatars. Gravatars are always square, so one
23263 number for the size is enough.
23265 @item gnus-gravatar-relief
23266 @vindex gnus-gravatar-relief
23267 If non-nil, adds a shadow rectangle around the image. The value,
23268 relief, specifies the width of the shadow lines, in pixels. If relief
23269 is negative, shadows are drawn so that the image appears as a pressed
23270 button; otherwise, it appears as an unpressed button.
23274 If you want to see them in the From field, set:
23276 (setq gnus-treat-from-gravatar 'head)
23279 If you want to see them in the Cc and To fields, set:
23282 (setq gnus-treat-mail-gravatar 'head)
23287 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
23290 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23291 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23292 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
23293 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
23294 unusual directory structure.
23296 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23297 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23298 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
23303 @subsubsection Toolbar
23307 @item gnus-use-toolbar
23308 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
23309 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
23310 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
23311 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
23312 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
23313 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
23314 names show. The default is @code{default}.
23316 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
23317 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
23318 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
23319 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
23320 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
23321 The default is that of the default toolbar.
23323 @item gnus-group-toolbar
23324 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
23325 The toolbar in the group buffer.
23327 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
23328 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
23329 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
23331 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23332 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23333 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
23344 @node Fuzzy Matching
23345 @section Fuzzy Matching
23346 @cindex fuzzy matching
23348 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
23349 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
23351 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
23352 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
23353 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
23355 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
23356 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
23357 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
23358 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
23359 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
23362 @node Thwarting Email Spam
23363 @section Thwarting Email Spam
23367 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23369 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
23370 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
23371 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
23372 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
23373 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
23374 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
23375 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
23376 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
23379 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
23380 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
23381 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
23382 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
23383 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
23384 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
23386 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
23389 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
23390 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
23391 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
23392 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
23395 @node The problem of spam
23396 @subsection The problem of spam
23398 @cindex spam filtering approaches
23399 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
23401 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23403 First, some background on spam.
23405 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
23406 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
23407 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
23408 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
23409 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
23410 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
23411 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
23412 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
23413 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
23415 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
23416 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
23417 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
23418 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
23419 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
23420 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
23421 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
23422 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
23423 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
23426 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
23427 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
23428 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
23429 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
23430 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
23431 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
23432 from Bulgarian IPs.
23434 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
23435 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
23436 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
23437 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
23439 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
23440 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
23441 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
23442 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
23444 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
23445 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
23446 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
23447 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
23448 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
23449 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
23450 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
23451 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
23452 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
23454 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
23455 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
23456 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
23457 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
23458 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
23459 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
23460 down for some time because of the incident.
23462 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
23463 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
23464 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
23465 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
23466 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
23467 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
23468 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
23469 to store the database of spam analysis. Statistical analysis on the
23470 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
23471 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
23472 the server that it has misclassified mail.
23474 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
23475 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
23476 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
23477 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
23478 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
23479 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
23480 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
23483 @node Anti-Spam Basics
23484 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
23488 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23490 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
23491 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
23493 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
23494 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
23495 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
23496 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
23497 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
23498 part of the mail address.)
23501 (setq message-default-news-headers
23502 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
23505 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23506 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23510 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
23511 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
23512 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
23517 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
23518 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
23519 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
23520 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
23522 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
23523 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
23524 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
23525 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
23526 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
23527 your fancy split rule in this way:
23532 (to "larsi" "misc")
23536 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
23537 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
23538 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
23539 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
23540 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
23542 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
23543 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
23544 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
23545 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
23547 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
23551 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
23552 @cindex SpamAssassin
23553 @cindex Vipul's Razor
23556 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
23557 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
23558 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
23559 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
23560 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
23561 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
23562 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
23564 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
23565 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
23566 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
23569 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
23570 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
23571 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
23572 Specifiers}) follow.
23576 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
23580 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
23583 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
23584 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
23585 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
23588 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
23592 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23595 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
23596 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
23600 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
23601 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
23602 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
23603 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
23606 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
23608 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
23612 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
23613 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
23617 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
23618 downloaded by default. You need to set
23619 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
23620 (@pxref{Client-Side @acronym{IMAP} Splitting}).
23622 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
23623 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
23624 spam. And here is the nifty function:
23627 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
23628 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
23630 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d" t)
23631 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
23635 @subsection Hashcash
23638 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
23639 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
23640 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
23641 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
23642 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
23644 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
23645 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
23646 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
23647 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
23648 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
23649 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
23650 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
23651 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
23652 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
23653 one of them separately.
23656 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
23657 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
23658 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
23659 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
23660 need to install to use this feature, see
23661 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
23662 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
23664 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
23665 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
23666 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
23669 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
23672 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
23676 @item hashcash-default-payment
23677 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
23678 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
23679 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
23682 @item hashcash-payment-alist
23683 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
23684 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
23685 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
23686 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
23687 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
23688 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
23689 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
23690 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
23692 @item hashcash-path
23693 @vindex hashcash-path
23694 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
23695 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
23696 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
23697 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
23698 when you generate hashcash payments.
23702 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
23703 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
23704 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
23705 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
23706 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
23707 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
23708 Hashcash Payments}).
23711 @section Spam Package
23712 @cindex spam filtering
23715 The Spam package provides Gnus with a centralized mechanism for
23716 detecting and filtering spam. It filters new mail, and processes
23717 messages according to whether they are spam or ham. (@dfn{Ham} is the
23718 name used throughout this manual to indicate non-spam messages.)
23721 * Spam Package Introduction::
23722 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
23723 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
23724 * Spam and Ham Processors::
23725 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
23727 * Extending the Spam package::
23728 * Spam Statistics Package::
23731 @node Spam Package Introduction
23732 @subsection Spam Package Introduction
23733 @cindex spam filtering
23734 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
23737 You must read this section to understand how the Spam package works.
23738 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
23740 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
23741 events. See @xref{Extending the Spam package}.
23743 @cindex spam-initialize
23744 @vindex spam-use-stat
23745 To use the Spam package, you @strong{must} first run the function
23746 @code{spam-initialize}:
23752 This autoloads @code{spam.el} and installs the various hooks necessary
23753 to let the Spam package do its job. In order to make use of the Spam
23754 package, you have to set up certain group parameters and variables,
23755 which we will describe below. All of the variables controlling the
23756 Spam package can be found in the @samp{spam} customization group.
23758 There are two ``contact points'' between the Spam package and the rest
23759 of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and leaving a group.
23761 Checking new mail for spam is done in one of two ways: while splitting
23762 incoming mail, or when you enter a group.
23764 The first way, checking for spam while splitting incoming mail, is
23765 suited to mail back ends such as @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap}, where
23766 new mail appears in a single spool file. The Spam package processes
23767 incoming mail, and sends mail considered to be spam to a designated
23768 ``spam'' group. @xref{Filtering Incoming Mail}.
23770 The second way is suited to back ends such as @code{nntp}, which have
23771 no incoming mail spool, or back ends where the server is in charge of
23772 splitting incoming mail. In this case, when you enter a Gnus group,
23773 the unseen or unread messages in that group are checked for spam.
23774 Detected spam messages are marked as spam. @xref{Detecting Spam in
23777 @cindex spam back ends
23778 In either case, you have to tell the Spam package what method to use
23779 to detect spam messages. There are several methods, or @dfn{spam back
23780 ends} (not to be confused with Gnus back ends!) to choose from: spam
23781 ``blacklists'' and ``whitelists'', dictionary-based filters, and so
23782 forth. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
23784 In the Gnus summary buffer, messages that have been identified as spam
23785 always appear with a @samp{$} symbol.
23787 The Spam package divides Gnus groups into three categories: ham
23788 groups, spam groups, and unclassified groups. You should mark each of
23789 the groups you subscribe to as either a ham group or a spam group,
23790 using the @code{spam-contents} group parameter (@pxref{Group
23791 Parameters}). Spam groups have a special property: when you enter a
23792 spam group, all unseen articles are marked as spam. Thus, mail split
23793 into a spam group is automatically marked as spam.
23795 Identifying spam messages is only half of the Spam package's job. The
23796 second half comes into play whenever you exit a group buffer. At this
23797 point, the Spam package does several things:
23799 First, it calls @dfn{spam and ham processors} to process the articles
23800 according to whether they are spam or ham. There is a pair of spam
23801 and ham processors associated with each spam back end, and what the
23802 processors do depends on the back end. At present, the main role of
23803 spam and ham processors is for dictionary-based spam filters: they add
23804 the contents of the messages in the group to the filter's dictionary,
23805 to improve its ability to detect future spam. The @code{spam-process}
23806 group parameter specifies what spam processors to use. @xref{Spam and
23809 If the spam filter failed to mark a spam message, you can mark it
23810 yourself, so that the message is processed as spam when you exit the
23820 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23821 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23822 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
23823 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}).
23827 Similarly, you can unmark an article if it has been erroneously marked
23828 as spam. @xref{Setting Marks}.
23830 Normally, a ham message found in a non-ham group is not processed as
23831 ham---the rationale is that it should be moved into a ham group for
23832 further processing (see below). However, you can force these articles
23833 to be processed as ham by setting
23834 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
23835 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups}.
23837 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23838 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23839 The second thing that the Spam package does when you exit a group is
23840 to move ham articles out of spam groups, and spam articles out of ham
23841 groups. Ham in a spam group is moved to the group specified by the
23842 variable @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}, or the group parameter
23843 @code{ham-process-destination}. Spam in a ham group is moved to the
23844 group specified by the variable @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations},
23845 or the group parameter @code{spam-process-destination}. If these
23846 variables are not set, the articles are left in their current group.
23847 If an article cannot be moved (e.g., with a read-only backend such
23848 as @acronym{NNTP}), it is copied.
23850 If an article is moved to another group, it is processed again when
23851 you visit the new group. Normally, this is not a problem, but if you
23852 want each article to be processed only once, load the
23853 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and set the variable
23854 @code{spam-log-to-registry} to @code{t}. @xref{Spam Package
23855 Configuration Examples}.
23857 Normally, spam groups ignore @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations}.
23858 However, if you set @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only} to
23859 @code{nil}, spam will also be moved out of spam groups, depending on
23860 the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter.
23862 The final thing the Spam package does is to mark spam articles as
23863 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
23865 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
23866 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
23867 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
23869 @node Filtering Incoming Mail
23870 @subsection Filtering Incoming Mail
23871 @cindex spam filtering
23872 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
23875 To use the Spam package to filter incoming mail, you must first set up
23876 fancy mail splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}. The Spam package
23877 defines a special splitting function that you can add to your fancy
23878 split variable (either @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
23879 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on your mail back end):
23885 @vindex spam-split-group
23887 The @code{spam-split} function scans incoming mail according to your
23888 chosen spam back end(s), and sends messages identified as spam to a
23889 spam group. By default, the spam group is a group named @samp{spam},
23890 but you can change this by customizing @code{spam-split-group}. Make
23891 sure the contents of @code{spam-split-group} are an unqualified group
23892 name. For instance, in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server},
23893 the value @samp{spam} means @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The value
23894 @samp{nnimap+server:spam} is therefore wrong---it gives the group
23895 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam}.
23897 @code{spam-split} does not modify the contents of messages in any way.
23899 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
23900 Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
23901 @code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
23902 you should also set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to
23903 @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can ``scan''
23904 the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only retrieves
23905 the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells it to
23906 retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by default
23907 because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
23908 appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Client-Side
23909 @acronym{IMAP} Splitting}.
23911 You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
23912 to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
23913 Ends}. Normally, @code{spam-split} simply uses all the spam back ends
23914 you enabled in this way. However, you can tell @code{spam-split} to
23915 use only some of them. Why this is useful? Suppose you are using the
23916 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and @code{spam-use-blackholes} spam back
23917 ends, and the following split rule:
23920 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23921 (any "ding" "ding")
23923 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23928 The problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the ding
23929 folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam detected by
23930 SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through, when it's
23931 sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to the ding
23932 list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the invocation
23933 of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
23935 The solution is to let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, and
23936 perform the other @code{spam-split} rules (including a second
23937 invocation of the regex-headers check) after the ding rule. This is
23938 done by passing a parameter to @code{spam-split}:
23943 ;; @r{spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
23944 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23945 (any "ding" "ding")
23946 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
23948 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23953 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
23954 your particular needs, and target the results of those checks to a
23955 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
23956 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
23957 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
23958 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
23959 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
23961 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
23962 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
23963 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
23964 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
23966 @c @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
23967 @c statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
23970 @node Detecting Spam in Groups
23971 @subsection Detecting Spam in Groups
23973 To detect spam when visiting a group, set the group's
23974 @code{spam-autodetect} and @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group
23975 parameters. These are accessible with @kbd{G c} or @kbd{G p}, as
23976 usual (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23978 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
23979 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
23980 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
23981 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
23983 By default, only unseen articles are processed for spam. You can
23984 force Gnus to recheck all messages in the group by setting the
23985 variable @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages} to @code{t}.
23987 If you use the @code{spam-autodetect} method of checking for spam, you
23988 can specify different spam detection methods for different groups.
23989 For instance, the @samp{ding} group may have @code{spam-use-BBDB} as
23990 the autodetection method, while the @samp{suspect} group may have the
23991 @code{spam-use-blacklist} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods
23992 enabled. Unlike with @code{spam-split}, you don't have any control
23993 over the @emph{sequence} of checks, but this is probably unimportant.
23995 @node Spam and Ham Processors
23996 @subsection Spam and Ham Processors
23997 @cindex spam filtering
23998 @cindex spam filtering variables
23999 @cindex spam variables
24002 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
24003 Spam and ham processors specify special actions to take when you exit
24004 a group buffer. Spam processors act on spam messages, and ham
24005 processors on ham messages. At present, the main role of these
24006 processors is to update the dictionaries of dictionary-based spam back
24007 ends such as Bogofilter (@pxref{Bogofilter}) and the Spam Statistics
24008 package (@pxref{Spam Statistics Filtering}).
24010 The spam and ham processors that apply to each group are determined by
24011 the group's@code{spam-process} group parameter. If this group
24012 parameter is not defined, they are determined by the variable
24013 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups}.
24015 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24016 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
24017 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
24018 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
24019 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
24020 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
24021 by customizing the corresponding variable
24022 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
24023 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
24024 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
24025 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
24026 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
24027 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
24028 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
24031 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
24033 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
24034 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
24035 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
24036 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
24037 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
24038 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
24039 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
24040 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
24041 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
24042 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
24043 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
24044 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
24045 processor which will study them as spam samples.
24047 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
24048 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
24049 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
24050 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
24051 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
24052 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
24053 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
24054 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
24057 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24058 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
24059 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
24060 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
24061 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
24062 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
24063 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
24068 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24069 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
24070 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
24071 you really want to.
24074 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
24075 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
24076 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
24077 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
24078 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
24079 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
24082 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24083 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
24084 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
24085 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
24086 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
24087 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
24088 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
24089 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
24090 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
24091 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
24092 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
24093 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
24094 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
24095 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
24096 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
24098 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24099 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24101 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24102 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
24103 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
24105 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
24106 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
24108 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
24109 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
24110 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
24111 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
24112 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
24114 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
24115 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
24116 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
24117 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
24118 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
24121 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24122 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
24123 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
24124 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
24125 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
24126 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
24127 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
24128 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
24129 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
24130 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
24131 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
24132 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
24133 group buffer then you need it here as well.
24135 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24136 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24138 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24139 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
24142 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
24143 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
24144 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
24145 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
24146 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
24147 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
24148 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
24150 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
24151 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
24152 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
24153 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
24155 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
24156 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
24157 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
24158 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
24159 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
24160 from the mail server.
24162 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
24163 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
24164 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
24165 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
24167 @node Spam Package Configuration Examples
24168 @subsection Spam Package Configuration Examples
24169 @cindex spam filtering
24170 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
24171 @cindex spam configuration examples
24174 @subsubheading Ted's setup
24176 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
24178 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
24179 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
24180 (gnus-registry-initialize)
24184 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
24186 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
24187 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
24188 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24189 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24190 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
24191 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
24192 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
24193 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
24194 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24195 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
24196 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24197 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
24198 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
24199 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
24200 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24201 (any "ding" "ding")
24202 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
24204 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24207 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
24209 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
24210 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
24211 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
24212 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
24214 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24216 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
24217 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
24218 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
24219 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
24220 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24222 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
24223 ((spam-autodetect . t))
24225 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
24227 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
24228 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
24230 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
24231 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
24232 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
24234 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
24236 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
24237 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
24239 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
24240 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
24241 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
24243 (gnus-ticked-mark))
24244 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
24245 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
24246 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
24248 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
24249 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
24250 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
24254 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
24255 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24257 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
24258 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
24259 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
24260 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
24261 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
24262 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
24263 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
24264 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
24265 @samp{training.spam} folders.
24267 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
24268 does most of the job for me:
24271 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
24272 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
24273 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
24274 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24275 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
24276 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
24277 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
24282 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
24284 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
24285 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
24286 bogofilter or DCC).
24288 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
24289 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
24290 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark
24291 (@code{ham-marks}, @ref{Spam and Ham Processors}). On group exit,
24292 those messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want
24293 to have the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter)
24294 and deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
24296 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
24297 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
24298 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
24299 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
24300 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
24301 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
24303 @item @b{Ham folders:}
24305 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
24306 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
24307 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
24308 @samp{training.spam}.
24311 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
24313 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24315 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
24316 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
24317 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
24321 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
24324 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
24325 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
24326 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
24327 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
24328 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
24330 @node Spam Back Ends
24331 @subsection Spam Back Ends
24332 @cindex spam back ends
24334 The spam package offers a variety of back ends for detecting spam.
24335 Each back end defines a set of methods for detecting spam
24336 (@pxref{Filtering Incoming Mail}, @pxref{Detecting Spam in Groups}),
24337 and a pair of spam and ham processors (@pxref{Spam and Ham
24341 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
24342 * BBDB Whitelists::
24343 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
24344 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
24346 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
24348 * SpamAssassin back end::
24349 * ifile spam filtering::
24350 * Spam Statistics Filtering::
24354 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
24355 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
24356 @cindex spam filtering
24357 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
24358 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
24361 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
24363 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
24364 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
24365 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
24366 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
24371 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
24373 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
24374 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
24375 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24376 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
24377 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24381 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
24383 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
24384 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24385 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
24389 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
24391 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24392 customizing the group parameters or the
24393 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24394 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24395 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
24399 Instead of the obsolete
24400 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
24401 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
24402 the same way, we promise.
24406 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
24408 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24409 customizing the group parameters or the
24410 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24411 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24412 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24417 Instead of the obsolete
24418 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
24419 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
24420 the same way, we promise.
24424 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
24425 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
24426 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
24427 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
24428 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
24430 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
24431 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
24432 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
24433 Emacs regular expression syntax.
24435 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
24436 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
24437 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
24438 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
24439 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
24440 @file{blacklist} respectively.
24442 @node BBDB Whitelists
24443 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
24444 @cindex spam filtering
24445 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
24446 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
24449 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
24451 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24452 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
24453 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
24454 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
24455 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24456 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
24457 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24461 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
24463 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
24464 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24465 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
24466 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
24467 classified as spammers.
24469 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
24470 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
24471 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
24472 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
24477 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
24479 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24480 customizing the group parameters or the
24481 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24482 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24483 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24488 Instead of the obsolete
24489 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
24490 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
24491 the same way, we promise.
24495 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
24496 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
24497 @cindex spam reporting
24498 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24499 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24502 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
24504 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24505 customizing the group parameters or the
24506 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24507 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24508 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
24511 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
24515 Instead of the obsolete
24516 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
24517 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
24518 same way, we promise.
24522 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
24524 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
24525 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
24526 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
24527 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
24528 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
24532 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
24534 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
24535 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
24536 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
24540 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24541 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24542 @cindex spam filtering
24543 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
24546 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
24548 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24549 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
24550 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
24551 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
24552 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
24553 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24558 @subsubsection Blackholes
24559 @cindex spam filtering
24560 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
24563 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
24565 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
24566 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
24567 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
24568 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
24569 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
24570 contains outdated servers.
24572 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
24573 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
24574 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
24575 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
24576 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
24577 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
24581 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
24583 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
24587 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
24589 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
24590 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
24594 @defvar spam-use-dig
24596 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
24597 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
24601 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
24602 ham processor for blackholes.
24604 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
24605 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
24606 @cindex spam filtering
24607 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
24610 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
24612 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
24613 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
24614 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
24615 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
24616 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
24617 message is spam or ham, respectively.
24621 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
24623 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24624 the message, positively identify it as spam.
24628 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
24630 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24631 the message, positively identify it as ham.
24635 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
24636 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
24639 @subsubsection Bogofilter
24640 @cindex spam filtering
24641 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
24644 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
24646 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24649 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
24650 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
24651 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
24652 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
24653 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
24654 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
24656 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
24657 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
24660 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
24661 processing will be turned off.
24663 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
24672 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
24673 Get the Bogofilter spamicity score (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}).
24676 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
24678 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24679 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
24680 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
24681 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
24682 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
24683 installation documents for details.
24685 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
24689 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
24690 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24691 customizing the group parameters or the
24692 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24693 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
24694 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
24698 Instead of the obsolete
24699 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24700 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24701 the same way, we promise.
24704 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
24705 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24706 customizing the group parameters or the
24707 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24708 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24709 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
24710 of non-spam messages.
24714 Instead of the obsolete
24715 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24716 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24717 the same way, we promise.
24720 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
24722 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
24723 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
24724 database directory.
24728 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
24729 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24730 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
24731 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
24732 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
24733 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
24735 @node SpamAssassin back end
24736 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
24737 @cindex spam filtering
24738 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
24741 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
24743 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
24745 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
24746 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
24747 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
24748 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
24751 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
24752 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
24753 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
24754 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
24757 You should not enable this if you use
24758 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
24762 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
24764 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
24765 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
24767 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
24771 @defvar spam-spamassassin-program
24773 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
24774 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
24775 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
24776 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
24780 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
24781 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
24782 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
24783 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
24784 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
24785 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
24786 to test this functionality.
24788 @node ifile spam filtering
24789 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
24790 @cindex spam filtering
24791 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
24794 @defvar spam-use-ifile
24796 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
24797 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
24801 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
24803 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
24804 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
24805 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
24809 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
24811 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
24812 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
24813 the default value of @samp{spam}.
24816 @defvar spam-ifile-database
24818 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
24819 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
24823 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
24824 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24825 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
24826 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
24829 @node Spam Statistics Filtering
24830 @subsubsection Spam Statistics Filtering
24831 @cindex spam filtering
24832 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
24836 This back end uses the Spam Statistics Emacs Lisp package to perform
24837 statistics-based filtering (@pxref{Spam Statistics Package}). Before
24838 using this, you may want to perform some additional steps to
24839 initialize your Spam Statistics dictionary. @xref{Creating a
24840 spam-stat dictionary}.
24842 @defvar spam-use-stat
24846 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
24847 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24848 customizing the group parameters or the
24849 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24850 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24851 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
24855 Instead of the obsolete
24856 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24857 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24858 the same way, we promise.
24861 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
24862 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24863 customizing the group parameters or the
24864 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24865 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24866 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
24867 of non-spam messages.
24871 Instead of the obsolete
24872 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24873 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24874 the same way, we promise.
24877 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
24878 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
24879 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
24880 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
24881 @code{spam-split} are provided.
24884 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
24885 @cindex spam filtering
24889 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
24890 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
24891 installed separately.
24893 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
24894 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
24895 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
24896 mail as a spam mail or not.
24898 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
24899 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
24900 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
24902 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Spam Package})
24905 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
24906 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
24907 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
24908 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}. @xref{Spam
24909 Package}. In this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is
24910 filtered using SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be
24911 moved to @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham
24912 messages stay in @samp{INBOX}:
24915 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
24916 spam-split-group "Junk"
24917 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
24918 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24919 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
24922 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
24923 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
24927 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
24928 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
24929 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
24933 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
24934 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
24935 store its analysis. This is controlled by the variable
24936 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
24937 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
24938 database to live somewhere special, set
24939 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
24942 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
24943 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
24944 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns
24945 the characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
24946 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
24947 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary
24948 buffer and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using
24949 @file{spam.el}'s spam- and ham-processors, which is much more
24950 convenient. For a detailed description of spam- and ham-processors,
24951 @xref{Spam Package}.
24953 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
24954 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24955 customizing the group parameter or the
24956 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24957 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
24958 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
24962 Instead of the obsolete
24963 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24964 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24965 the same way, we promise.
24968 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
24969 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24970 customizing the group parameter or the
24971 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24972 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
24973 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
24978 Instead of the obsolete
24979 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24980 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24981 the same way, we promise.
24984 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
24985 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
24988 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
24989 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
24990 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
24992 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
24993 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
24994 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
24995 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
24996 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
24997 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
24999 @node Extending the Spam package
25000 @subsection Extending the Spam package
25001 @cindex spam filtering
25002 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
25003 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
25005 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
25006 incoming mail, provide the following:
25014 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
25015 "True if blackbox should be used.")
25018 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
25020 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
25021 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
25022 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
25023 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
25024 register/unregister spam and ham.
25029 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
25030 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
25031 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
25032 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
25037 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
25044 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
25045 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
25047 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
25048 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
25049 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
25050 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
25053 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
25054 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
25055 Only applicable to spam groups.")
25057 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
25058 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
25059 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
25068 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
25069 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
25071 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
25072 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
25073 variable customization.
25077 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
25079 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
25080 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
25082 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
25083 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
25089 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
25091 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
25092 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
25093 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
25096 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
25098 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
25099 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
25103 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
25105 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
25106 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
25107 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
25111 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
25113 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
25114 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
25115 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
25118 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
25120 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
25121 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
25125 @code{spam-install-backend}
25127 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
25128 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
25129 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
25132 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
25134 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
25135 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
25136 never install such a back end.
25141 @node Spam Statistics Package
25142 @subsection Spam Statistics Package
25143 @cindex Paul Graham
25144 @cindex Graham, Paul
25145 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
25146 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
25147 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
25149 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
25150 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
25151 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
25152 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
25153 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
25154 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
25155 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
25156 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
25157 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
25160 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
25161 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
25162 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
25163 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
25164 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
25165 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
25166 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
25167 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
25169 The Spam Statistics package adds support to Gnus for this kind of
25170 filtering. It can be used as one of the back ends of the Spam package
25171 (@pxref{Spam Package}), or by itself.
25173 Before using the Spam Statistics package, you need to set it up.
25174 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
25175 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
25176 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
25177 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
25180 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
25181 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
25182 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
25185 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25186 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25188 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
25189 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
25190 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
25191 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
25192 need several hundred emails in both collections.
25194 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
25195 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
25196 per mail. Use the following:
25198 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
25199 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
25200 is treated as one spam mail.
25203 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
25204 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
25205 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
25208 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
25209 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds to
25210 the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
25211 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
25212 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds to the group
25213 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
25215 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
25216 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
25217 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
25218 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
25219 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
25222 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
25223 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
25224 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
25225 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
25228 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
25229 reset the dictionary.
25231 @defun spam-stat-reset
25232 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
25235 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
25236 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
25237 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
25238 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
25239 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
25240 only non-spam mails.
25242 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
25243 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
25244 to update the dictionary incrementally.
25247 @defun spam-stat-save
25248 Save the dictionary.
25251 @defvar spam-stat-file
25252 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
25253 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
25256 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
25257 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
25259 This section describes how to use the Spam statistics
25260 @emph{independently} of the @xref{Spam Package}.
25262 First, add the following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25265 (require 'spam-stat)
25269 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
25272 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
25273 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
25274 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
25275 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
25277 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
25278 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
25279 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
25280 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
25283 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25284 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25288 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
25289 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
25292 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
25293 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
25294 expression are considered potential spam.
25297 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25298 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25299 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25303 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
25304 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
25305 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
25306 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
25307 mails, when creating the dictionary!
25310 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25311 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25312 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25316 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
25317 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
25318 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
25319 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
25320 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
25324 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25325 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
25326 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25327 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25332 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25333 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25335 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
25337 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
25338 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
25339 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25342 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
25343 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
25344 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25347 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
25348 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
25349 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
25350 already been processed as non-spam.
25353 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
25354 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
25355 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
25356 been processed as spam.
25359 @defun spam-stat-save
25360 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
25361 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25364 @defun spam-stat-load
25365 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
25366 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25369 @defun spam-stat-score-word
25370 Return the spam score for a word.
25373 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
25374 Return the spam score for a buffer.
25377 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
25378 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
25379 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
25382 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
25383 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25386 (require 'spam-stat)
25390 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
25393 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25394 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25395 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25396 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25397 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25398 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25399 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25400 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25401 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25402 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25403 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25404 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25405 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25406 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25409 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
25412 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25413 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25414 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25415 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
25416 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25417 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25420 @node The Gnus Registry
25421 @section The Gnus Registry
25426 The Gnus registry is a package that tracks messages by their
25427 Message-ID across all backends. This allows Gnus users to do several
25428 cool things, be the envy of the locals, get free haircuts, and be
25429 experts on world issues. Well, maybe not all of those, but the
25430 features are pretty cool.
25432 Although they will be explained in detail shortly, here's a quick list
25433 of said features in case your attention span is... never mind.
25437 Split messages to their parent
25439 This keeps discussions in the same group. You can use the subject and
25440 the sender in addition to the Message-ID. Several strategies are
25444 Store custom flags and keywords
25446 The registry can store custom flags and keywords for a message. For
25447 instance, you can mark a message ``To-Do'' this way and the flag will
25448 persist whether the message is in the nnimap, nnml, nnmaildir,
25452 Store arbitrary data
25454 Through a simple ELisp API, the registry can remember any data for a
25455 message. A built-in inverse map, when activated, allows quick lookups
25456 of all messages matching a particular set of criteria.
25461 * Fancy splitting to parent::
25462 * Store custom flags and keywords::
25463 * Store arbitrary data::
25469 Fortunately, setting up the Gnus registry is pretty easy:
25472 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500
25473 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t)
25475 (gnus-registry-initialize)
25478 This adds registry saves to Gnus newsrc saves (which happen on exit
25479 and when you press @kbd{s} from the @code{*Group*} buffer. It also
25480 adds registry calls to article actions in Gnus (copy, move, etc.) so
25481 it's not easy to undo the initialization. See
25482 @code{gnus-registry-initialize} for the gory details.
25484 Here are other settings used by the author of the registry (understand
25485 what they do before you copy them blindly).
25489 gnus-registry-split-strategy 'majority
25490 gnus-registry-ignored-groups '(("nntp" t)
25494 gnus-registry-max-entries 500000
25495 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t
25496 gnus-registry-track-extra '(sender subject))
25499 They say: keep a lot of messages around, use long group names, track
25500 messages by sender and subject (not just parent Message-ID), and when
25501 the registry splits incoming mail, use a majority rule to decide where
25502 messages should go if there's more than one possibility. In addition,
25503 the registry should ignore messages in groups that match ``nntp'',
25504 ``nnrss'', ``spam'', or ``train.''
25506 You are doubtless impressed by all this, but you ask: ``I am a Gnus
25507 user, I customize to live. Give me more.'' Here you go, these are
25508 the general settings.
25510 @defvar gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups
25511 The groups that will not be followed by
25512 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}. They will still be
25513 remembered by the registry. This is a list of regular expressions.
25516 @defvar gnus-registry-ignored-groups
25517 The groups that will not be remembered by the registry. This is a
25518 list of regular expressions, also available through Group/Topic
25519 customization (so you can ignore or keep a specific group or a whole
25523 @defvar gnus-registry-use-long-group-names
25524 Whether the registry will use long group names. It's recommended to
25525 set this to @code{t}, although everything works if you don't. Future
25526 functionality will require it.
25529 @defvar gnus-registry-max-entries
25530 The number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries the
25531 registry will keep.
25534 @defvar gnus-registry-cache-file
25535 The file where the registry will be stored between Gnus sessions.
25538 @node Fancy splitting to parent
25539 @subsection Fancy splitting to parent
25541 Simply put, this lets you put followup e-mail where it belongs.
25543 Every message has a Message-ID, which is unique, and the registry
25544 remembers it. When the message is moved or copied, the registry will
25545 notice this and offer the new group as a choice to the splitting
25548 When a followup is made, usually it mentions the original message's
25549 Message-ID in the headers. The registry knows this and uses that
25550 mention to find the group where the original message lives. You only
25551 have to put a rule like this:
25554 (setq nnimap-my-split-fancy '(|
25556 ;; split to parent: you need this
25557 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
25559 ;; other rules, as an example
25565 in your fancy split setup. In addition, you may want to customize the
25566 following variables.
25568 @defvar gnus-registry-track-extra
25569 This is a list of symbols, so it's best to change it from the
25570 Customize interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to
25571 track @code{subject} and @code{sender} as well when splitting by parent.
25572 It may work for you. It can be annoying if your mail flow is large and
25573 people don't stick to the same groups.
25576 @defvar gnus-registry-split-strategy
25577 This is a symbol, so it's best to change it from the Customize
25578 interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to set it to
25579 @code{majority} or @code{first} to split by sender or subject based on
25580 the majority of matches or on the first found.
25583 @node Store custom flags and keywords
25584 @subsection Store custom flags and keywords
25586 The registry lets you set custom flags and keywords per message. You
25587 can use the Gnus->Registry Marks menu or the @kbd{M M x} keyboard
25588 shortcuts, where @code{x} is the first letter of the mark's name.
25590 @defvar gnus-registry-marks
25591 The custom marks that the registry can use. You can modify the
25592 default list, if you like. If you do, you'll have to exit Emacs
25593 before they take effect (you can also unload the registry and reload
25594 it or evaluate the specific macros you'll need, but you probably don't
25595 want to bother). Use the Customize interface to modify the list.
25597 By default this list has the @code{Important}, @code{Work},
25598 @code{Personal}, @code{To-Do}, and @code{Later} marks. They all have
25599 keyboard shortcuts like @kbd{M M i} for Important, using the first
25603 @defun gnus-registry-mark-article
25604 Call this function to mark an article with a custom registry mark. It
25605 will offer the available marks for completion.
25608 @node Store arbitrary data
25609 @subsection Store arbitrary data
25611 The registry has a simple API that uses a Message-ID as the key to
25612 store arbitrary data (as long as it can be converted to a list for
25615 @defun gnus-registry-store-extra-entry (id key value)
25616 Store @code{value} in the extra data key @code{key} for message
25620 @defun gnus-registry-delete-extra-entry (id key)
25621 Delete the extra data key @code{key} for message @code{id}.
25624 @defun gnus-registry-fetch-extra (id key)
25625 Get the extra data key @code{key} for message @code{id}.
25628 @defvar gnus-registry-extra-entries-precious
25629 If any extra entries are precious, their presence will make the
25630 registry keep the whole entry forever, even if there are no groups for
25631 the Message-ID and if the size limit of the registry is reached. By
25632 default this is just @code{(marks)} so the custom registry marks are
25637 @section Interaction with other modes
25642 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provides some useful functions for dired
25643 buffers. It is enabled with
25645 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
25650 @findex gnus-dired-attach
25651 @cindex attachments, selection via dired
25652 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
25653 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
25656 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
25657 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
25658 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
25662 @findex gnus-dired-print
25663 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
25664 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
25667 @node Various Various
25668 @section Various Various
25674 @item gnus-home-directory
25675 @vindex gnus-home-directory
25676 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
25677 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
25679 @item gnus-directory
25680 @vindex gnus-directory
25681 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
25682 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
25683 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
25685 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
25686 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
25687 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
25688 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
25690 @item gnus-default-directory
25691 @vindex gnus-default-directory
25692 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
25693 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
25694 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
25695 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
25696 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
25697 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
25700 @vindex gnus-verbose
25701 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
25702 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
25703 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
25704 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
25705 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
25707 @item gnus-verbose-backends
25708 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
25709 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
25710 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
25712 @item gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
25713 @vindex gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
25714 This variable controls whether to add timestamps to messages that are
25715 controlled by @code{gnus-verbose} and @code{gnus-verbose-backends} and
25716 are issued. The default value is @code{nil} which means never to add
25717 timestamp. If it is @code{log}, add timestamps to only the messages
25718 that go into the @samp{*Messages*} buffer (in XEmacs, it is the
25719 @w{@samp{ *Message-Log*}} buffer). If it is neither @code{nil} nor
25720 @code{log}, add timestamps not only to log messages but also to the ones
25721 displayed in the echo area.
25723 @item nnheader-max-head-length
25724 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
25725 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
25726 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
25727 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
25728 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
25729 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
25730 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
25731 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
25732 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
25734 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
25735 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
25736 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
25737 read when doing the operation described above.
25739 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25740 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25742 @cindex invalid characters in file names
25743 @cindex characters in file names
25744 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
25745 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
25746 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
25750 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25755 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
25756 Windows (phooey) systems.
25758 @item gnus-hidden-properties
25759 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
25760 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
25761 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
25762 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
25764 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
25765 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
25766 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
25767 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
25768 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
25770 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
25771 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
25772 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
25774 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25775 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25777 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
25778 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
25779 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
25780 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
25783 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
25785 @item gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
25786 @vindex gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
25787 Groups in which links in html articles are considered all safe. The
25788 value may be a regexp matching those groups, a list of group names, or
25789 @code{nil}. This overrides @code{mm-w3m-safe-url-regexp}. The default
25790 value is @code{"\\`nnrss[+:]"}. This is effective only when emacs-w3m
25791 renders html articles, i.e., in the case @code{mm-text-html-renderer} is
25792 set to @code{w3m}. @xref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization,
25793 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}.
25800 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
25801 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
25803 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
25805 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
25811 Not because of victories @*
25814 but for the common sunshine,@*
25816 the largess of the spring.
25820 but for the day's work done@*
25821 as well as I was able;@*
25822 not for a seat upon the dais@*
25823 but at the common table.@*
25828 @chapter Appendices
25831 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
25832 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
25833 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
25834 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
25835 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
25836 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
25837 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
25838 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
25839 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
25846 @cindex installing under XEmacs
25848 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
25849 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
25850 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
25851 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
25852 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
25853 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
25860 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
25861 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
25863 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
25864 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
25865 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
25866 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
25867 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
25869 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
25870 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
25871 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
25872 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
25873 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
25874 appropriate name, don't you think?)
25876 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
25877 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
25878 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
25879 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
25882 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
25883 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
25884 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
25885 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
25886 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
25887 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
25888 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
25889 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
25890 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
25894 @node Gnus Versions
25895 @subsection Gnus Versions
25897 @cindex September Gnus
25899 @cindex Quassia Gnus
25900 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
25903 @cindex Gnus versions
25905 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
25906 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
25907 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
25909 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
25910 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
25912 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
25913 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
25915 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
25916 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
25918 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
25919 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
25922 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
25923 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
25925 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
25927 On April 19, 2010 Gnus development was moved to Git. See
25928 http://git.gnus.org for details (http://www.gnus.org will be updated
25929 with the information when possible).
25931 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
25932 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
25933 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'' -- don't panic.
25934 Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever
25935 you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach.
25936 Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
25939 @node Other Gnus Versions
25940 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
25943 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
25944 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
25945 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
25946 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
25948 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
25949 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
25950 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
25951 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
25958 What's the point of Gnus?
25960 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
25961 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
25962 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
25963 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
25964 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
25965 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
25966 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
25967 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
25968 keep track of millions of people who post?
25970 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
25971 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
25972 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
25973 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
25974 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
25975 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
25976 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
25977 every one of you to explore and invent.
25979 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
25980 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
25983 @node Compatibility
25984 @subsection Compatibility
25986 @cindex compatibility
25987 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
25988 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
25989 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
25994 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
25998 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
26001 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
26004 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
26005 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
26006 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
26007 important variables have their values copied into their global
26008 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
26009 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
26011 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
26012 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
26013 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
26014 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
26015 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
26019 @cindex highlighting
26020 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
26021 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
26022 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
26023 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
26024 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
26025 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
26028 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
26029 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
26030 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
26031 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
26033 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
26034 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
26035 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
26036 to stop doing it the old way.
26038 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
26040 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26042 @cindex reporting bugs
26044 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
26045 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
26046 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
26048 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
26049 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
26050 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
26051 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
26056 @subsection Conformity
26058 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
26059 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
26067 There are no known breaches of this standard.
26071 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
26073 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
26074 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
26075 We do have some breaches to this one.
26081 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
26082 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
26083 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
26084 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
26085 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
26090 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
26091 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
26092 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
26093 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
26095 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
26096 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
26097 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
26099 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
26100 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
26102 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
26105 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
26106 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
26107 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
26108 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
26109 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
26112 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
26113 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
26114 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
26115 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
26117 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
26118 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
26120 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
26121 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
26122 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
26123 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
26124 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
26125 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
26126 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
26127 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
26131 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
26132 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
26137 @subsection Emacsen
26143 This version of Gnus should work on:
26151 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
26155 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
26156 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
26157 Emacs versions. Particularly, Gnus 5.10.8 should also work on Emacs
26158 20.7 and XEmacs 21.1.
26160 @c No-merge comment: The paragraph added in v5-10 here must not be
26163 @node Gnus Development
26164 @subsection Gnus Development
26166 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
26167 discussion on the development mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}, where people
26168 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
26169 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
26170 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
26171 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
26172 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
26173 have names like ``Oort Gnus'' and ``No Gnus''. @xref{Gnus Versions}.
26175 After futzing around for 10-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
26176 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
26177 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.10.1'' instead. Normal people are
26178 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
26179 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup. This newgroup is mirrored to the
26180 mailing list @samp{info-gnus-english@@gnu.org} which is carried on Gmane
26181 as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.user}. These releases are finally integrated
26185 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26186 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26187 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26188 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26189 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26191 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
26192 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
26193 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
26194 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
26195 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
26196 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
26197 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
26198 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
26199 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
26200 can't be assumed to do so.
26202 So if you have problems with or questions about the alpha versions,
26203 direct those to the ding mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}. This list
26204 is also available on Gmane as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.general}.
26207 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26208 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26209 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26210 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26211 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26214 @subsection Contributors
26215 @cindex contributors
26217 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
26218 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
26219 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
26220 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
26221 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
26222 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
26223 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
26224 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
26225 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
26226 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
26228 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
26234 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
26237 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
26238 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
26239 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
26240 functionality and stuff.
26243 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
26244 well as numerous other things).
26247 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
26250 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
26253 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
26256 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
26259 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
26260 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
26263 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
26266 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
26269 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
26272 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
26275 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
26278 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
26281 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
26282 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
26285 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
26288 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
26291 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
26294 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
26298 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
26301 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
26304 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
26307 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
26308 well as autoconf support.
26312 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
26313 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
26315 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
26330 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
26332 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
26336 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
26346 Alexei V. Barantsev,
26361 Massimo Campostrini,
26366 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
26367 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
26371 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
26374 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
26380 Michael Welsh Duggan,
26385 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
26389 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
26397 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
26399 Michelangelo Grigni,
26403 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
26405 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
26407 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
26415 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
26416 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
26417 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
26419 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
26429 Peter Skov Knudsen,
26430 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
26432 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
26433 Thor Kristoffersen,
26436 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
26454 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
26455 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
26462 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
26467 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
26471 John McClary Prevost,
26477 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
26482 Christian von Roques,
26485 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
26492 Philippe Schnoebelen,
26494 Randal L. Schwartz,
26508 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
26513 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
26533 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
26534 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
26535 (550kB and counting).
26537 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
26540 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
26541 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
26545 @subsection New Features
26546 @cindex new features
26549 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
26550 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
26551 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
26552 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
26553 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
26554 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
26555 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
26558 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
26559 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
26560 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
26563 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
26565 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
26570 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
26571 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
26574 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
26575 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
26578 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
26581 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
26582 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
26583 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
26586 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
26587 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
26588 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
26589 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26592 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
26593 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26596 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
26597 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
26598 (@pxref{The Active File}).
26601 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
26602 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
26605 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
26606 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
26607 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26610 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
26611 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
26612 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
26615 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
26616 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
26619 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
26620 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
26623 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
26624 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26627 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
26628 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
26631 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
26632 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26635 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
26638 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
26639 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
26642 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
26643 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
26646 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
26647 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
26650 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
26653 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
26654 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26657 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
26661 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
26665 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
26666 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
26669 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
26675 @node September Gnus
26676 @subsubsection September Gnus
26680 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
26684 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
26689 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
26690 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
26694 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
26695 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
26699 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
26703 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
26704 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
26707 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
26711 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
26714 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
26717 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
26720 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
26724 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
26725 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
26728 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
26732 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
26736 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
26740 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
26744 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
26747 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
26748 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
26751 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
26755 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
26756 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
26759 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
26762 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
26763 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
26764 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26767 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets.
26770 The Gnus cache is much faster.
26773 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
26777 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
26778 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
26781 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
26782 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
26785 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
26786 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
26789 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
26790 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
26791 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
26794 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
26795 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
26798 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
26801 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26804 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
26807 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
26810 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
26811 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
26814 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
26818 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
26821 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
26826 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26829 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
26833 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
26836 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
26839 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
26840 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26843 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
26844 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
26848 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
26849 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
26852 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
26856 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
26857 buffer to allow easier treatment.
26860 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
26863 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
26867 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
26871 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
26872 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
26875 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
26879 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
26880 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26883 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
26884 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26887 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
26891 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26894 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
26897 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
26903 @subsubsection Red Gnus
26905 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
26909 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
26916 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
26919 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
26920 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26923 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
26924 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
26928 Article washing status can be displayed in the
26929 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
26932 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
26935 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
26936 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
26939 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
26943 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
26944 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
26948 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
26949 Server Internals}).
26952 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
26956 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
26959 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
26960 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
26963 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
26964 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
26965 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
26968 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
26969 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26972 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
26973 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
26976 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
26980 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
26981 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26984 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
26985 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26988 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
26992 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
26995 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
26999 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
27000 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27003 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
27004 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27007 A new command for reading collections of documents
27008 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
27009 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
27012 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
27016 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
27017 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
27020 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
27021 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
27022 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
27025 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
27026 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
27030 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
27034 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
27038 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
27043 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
27047 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
27051 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
27052 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
27055 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
27061 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
27063 New features in Gnus 5.6:
27068 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
27069 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
27070 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
27073 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
27074 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
27075 group, which is created automatically.
27078 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
27082 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
27085 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
27086 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
27089 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
27093 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
27096 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
27097 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
27100 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
27103 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
27107 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
27108 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
27111 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
27112 control over simplification.
27115 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
27118 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
27122 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
27125 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
27128 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
27129 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
27130 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
27133 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
27134 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
27137 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
27141 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
27142 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
27145 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
27146 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
27149 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
27153 A history of where mails have been split is available.
27156 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
27159 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
27160 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
27163 A new function for citing in Message has been
27164 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
27167 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
27170 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
27174 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
27175 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
27178 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
27179 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
27182 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
27185 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
27189 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
27190 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
27192 New features in Gnus 5.8:
27197 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
27198 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
27200 If you used procmail like in
27203 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
27204 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
27205 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
27206 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
27209 this now has changed to
27213 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
27217 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
27220 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
27221 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
27224 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
27225 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
27228 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
27229 called to position point.
27232 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
27233 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
27236 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
27237 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
27240 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
27241 subtly different manner.
27244 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
27245 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
27246 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
27249 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
27254 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
27257 New features in Gnus 5.10:
27261 @item Installation changes
27262 @c ***********************
27266 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
27268 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
27269 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
27270 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
27271 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
27272 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
27273 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
27274 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
27275 isn't save in general.
27278 Lisp files are now installed in @file{.../site-lisp/gnus/} by default.
27279 It defaulted to @file{.../site-lisp/} formerly. In addition to this,
27280 the new installer issues a warning if other Gnus installations which
27281 will shadow the latest one are detected. You can then remove those
27282 shadows manually or remove them using @code{make
27283 remove-installed-shadows}.
27286 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
27288 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
27289 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
27290 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, if you want
27291 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
27292 the second parameter.
27294 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
27295 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
27296 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
27297 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
27298 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
27299 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
27300 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
27301 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
27302 cycle used under Unix systems.
27304 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} and @file{xemacs.mak}
27305 superfluous, so they have been removed.
27308 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
27310 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
27311 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
27314 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
27315 @c the repository. We should find a better place for this item.
27317 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
27319 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
27320 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
27321 lisp directory into load-path.
27323 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
27324 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
27328 @item New packages and libraries within Gnus
27329 @c *****************************************
27334 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
27335 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
27338 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
27340 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
27341 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
27342 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
27343 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
27346 Improved anti-spam features.
27348 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
27349 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
27350 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
27351 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
27352 are also new. @ref{Thwarting Email Spam} and @ref{Spam Package}.
27353 @c FIXME: @xref{Spam Package}?. Should this be under Misc?
27356 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
27358 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
27359 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
27360 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
27361 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
27362 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
27366 @item Changes in group mode
27367 @c ************************
27372 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
27376 Retrieval of charters and control messages
27378 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
27379 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
27382 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
27384 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
27385 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
27386 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
27387 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
27388 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
27391 (setq gnus-parameters
27393 (gnus-show-threads nil)
27394 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
27395 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
27396 (to-group . "\\1"))))
27400 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
27402 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
27403 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
27404 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
27405 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
27406 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
27407 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
27408 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
27409 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
27410 when getting new mail, remove the function.
27413 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
27415 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
27416 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
27417 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
27420 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
27421 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
27423 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
27424 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
27425 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
27427 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
27431 Old intermediate incoming mail files (@file{Incoming*}) are deleted
27432 after a couple of days, not immediately. @xref{Mail Source
27433 Customization}. (New in Gnus 5.10.10 / Emacs 22.2)
27437 @item Changes in summary and article mode
27438 @c **************************************
27443 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
27444 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
27445 region if the region is active.
27448 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
27449 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
27454 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
27455 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
27456 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
27457 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
27460 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
27465 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
27466 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
27468 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
27469 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
27473 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
27474 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
27477 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
27480 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
27481 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
27484 Warn about email replies to news
27486 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
27487 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
27491 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
27492 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
27496 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
27497 opposed to old but unread messages).
27500 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
27501 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
27504 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
27505 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
27508 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
27509 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
27512 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
27514 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
27515 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
27516 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
27517 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
27520 The new command @kbd{W Y f}
27521 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}) allows deuglifying broken
27522 Outlook (Express) articles.
27525 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
27527 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
27528 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
27529 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
27530 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
27532 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
27533 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
27534 message cited below.
27537 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now displayed graphically in
27540 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
27544 Face headers handling. @xref{Face}.
27547 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
27548 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
27551 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
27554 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
27556 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
27557 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
27558 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
27559 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
27560 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
27564 Deleting of attachments.
27566 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
27567 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
27568 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
27569 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
27570 that support editing.
27573 @code{gnus-default-charset}
27575 The default value is determined from the
27576 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
27577 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
27578 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
27581 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
27583 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
27584 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
27585 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
27588 Extended format specs.
27590 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
27591 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
27592 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
27593 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
27594 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
27595 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
27598 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
27599 @c FIXME: Was this a user-visible change?
27601 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
27602 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
27603 out other articles.
27606 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
27608 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
27609 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
27610 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
27611 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
27614 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
27618 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
27619 @c ****************************************************
27626 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
27627 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
27628 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
27631 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
27632 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
27635 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
27636 Gcc articles as read.
27639 Externalizing of attachments
27641 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
27642 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
27643 local files as external parts.
27646 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
27647 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
27650 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
27652 Earlier it was generated when the user configurable email address was
27653 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
27654 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
27655 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
27656 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
27657 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
27658 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
27659 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
27660 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
27663 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
27665 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
27666 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
27667 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
27668 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
27669 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
27670 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
27673 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
27674 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
27678 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers. @xref{X-Face}.
27681 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
27683 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
27684 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
27685 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
27686 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
27687 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
27688 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
27689 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
27690 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
27691 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
27692 was inserted directly.
27695 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
27697 @c FIXME should that not be 'message-user-agent?
27698 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
27699 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
27700 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
27701 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
27704 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
27706 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
27708 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
27709 'bbdb-complete-name)
27713 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
27715 Add a new format of match like
27717 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
27718 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27720 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
27722 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
27723 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27727 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
27729 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
27730 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
27731 need add those two headers too.
27734 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
27735 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
27736 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
27740 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
27741 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
27742 inline PGP signed messages. @xref{Flowed text, , Flowed text,
27743 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
27744 @c This entry is also present in the node "No Gnus".
27747 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
27749 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
27752 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
27754 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
27758 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
27760 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
27761 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
27762 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
27763 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
27764 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
27765 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
27766 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
27767 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
27770 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
27771 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
27773 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
27774 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
27775 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
27776 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
27779 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
27782 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
27783 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
27786 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to the symbol
27789 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
27790 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
27791 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
27792 invalidate the digital signature.
27795 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
27796 decompressed when activated.
27797 @c FIXME: Does this affect article or message mode?
27800 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
27802 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
27803 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
27804 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
27805 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
27806 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
27809 @item You can now drag and drop attachments to the Message buffer.
27810 See @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} and @code{mml-dnd-attach-options}.
27811 @xref{MIME, ,MIME, message, Message Manual}.
27812 @c New in 5.10.9 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.1)
27814 @item @code{auto-fill-mode} is enabled by default in Message mode.
27815 See @code{message-fill-column}. @xref{Various Message Variables, ,
27816 Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
27817 @c New in Gnus 5.10.12 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.3)
27821 @item Changes in back ends
27822 @c ***********************
27826 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
27829 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
27832 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
27834 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
27837 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
27839 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
27840 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
27841 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
27842 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
27843 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
27844 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
27845 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
27846 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
27847 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
27848 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
27849 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
27859 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
27860 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
27863 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
27864 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
27865 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
27866 message, Message Manual}).
27869 The tool bars have been updated to use GNOME icons in Group, Summary and
27870 Message mode. You can also customize the tool bars: @kbd{M-x
27871 customize-apropos RET -tool-bar$} should get you started. This is a new
27872 feature in Gnus 5.10.10. (Only for Emacs, not in XEmacs.)
27874 @item The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly
27875 in the group buffer, see the variable @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}.
27876 Its default value depends on your Emacs version. This is a new feature
27881 @item Miscellaneous changes
27882 @c ************************
27889 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
27890 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
27891 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
27892 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
27893 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
27894 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
27895 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
27896 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
27897 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
27898 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
27899 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
27900 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
27901 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
27902 is not needed any more.
27905 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
27907 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
27908 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
27909 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
27914 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
27915 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
27916 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
27920 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
27923 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
27925 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
27932 @subsubsection No Gnus
27935 New features in No Gnus:
27936 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
27938 @include gnus-news.texi
27944 @section The Manual
27948 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
27949 either @code{texi2dvi}
27951 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
27952 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
27954 to get what you hold in your hands now.
27956 The following conventions have been used:
27961 This is a @samp{string}
27964 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
27967 This is a @file{file}
27970 This is a @code{symbol}
27974 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
27978 (setq flargnoze "yes")
27981 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
27984 (setq flumphel 'yes)
27987 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
27988 ever get them confused.
27992 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
27993 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
27994 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
27995 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
27996 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
27997 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
27998 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
28004 @node On Writing Manuals
28005 @section On Writing Manuals
28007 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
28008 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
28009 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
28010 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
28011 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
28012 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code go hand
28015 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
28016 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
28017 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
28020 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
28021 reference manual as source material. It would look quite different.
28026 @section Terminology
28028 @cindex terminology
28033 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
28034 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
28035 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
28036 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
28037 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
28041 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
28042 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
28043 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
28044 not posting, and replying is not following up.
28048 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
28052 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
28057 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
28058 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
28059 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
28060 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
28061 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
28062 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
28063 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
28064 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
28065 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
28068 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
28069 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
28070 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
28071 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
28072 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
28073 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
28075 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
28076 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
28077 access the articles.
28079 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
28080 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
28081 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
28086 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
28087 default, way of getting news.
28091 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
28092 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
28097 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
28098 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
28102 A message that has been posted as news.
28105 @cindex mail message
28106 A message that has been mailed.
28110 A mail message or news article
28114 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
28119 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
28124 A line from the head of an article.
28128 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
28129 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
28131 @item @acronym{NOV}
28132 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
28133 @acronym{NOV} stands for News OverView, which is a type of news server
28134 header which provide datas containing the condensed header information
28135 of articles. They are produced by the server itself; in the @code{nntp}
28136 back end Gnus uses the ones that the @acronym{NNTP} server makes, but
28137 Gnus makes them by itself for some backends (in particular, @code{nnml}).
28139 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
28140 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
28141 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
28142 normal @sc{head} format.
28144 The @acronym{NOV} data consist of one or more text lines (@pxref{Text
28145 Lines, ,Motion by Text Lines, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual})
28146 where each line has the header information of one article. The header
28147 information is a tab-separated series of the header's contents including
28148 an article number, a subject, an author, a date, a message-id,
28151 Those data enable Gnus to generate summary lines quickly. However, if
28152 the server does not support @acronym{NOV} or you disable it purposely or
28153 for some reason, Gnus will try to generate the header information by
28154 parsing each article's headers one by one. It will take time.
28155 Therefore, it is not usually a good idea to set nn*-nov-is-evil
28156 (@pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}) to a non-@code{nil} value unless you
28157 know that the server makes wrong @acronym{NOV} data.
28161 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
28162 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
28163 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
28164 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
28165 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
28166 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
28168 @item killed groups
28169 @cindex killed groups
28170 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
28171 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
28173 @item zombie groups
28174 @cindex zombie groups
28175 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
28178 @cindex active file
28179 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
28180 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
28181 is rather large, as you might surmise.
28184 @cindex bogus groups
28185 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
28186 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
28187 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
28190 @cindex activating groups
28191 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
28192 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
28193 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
28197 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
28198 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
28199 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
28203 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
28205 @item select method
28206 @cindex select method
28207 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
28210 @item virtual server
28211 @cindex virtual server
28212 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
28213 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
28214 whole is a virtual server.
28218 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
28219 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
28222 @item ephemeral groups
28223 @cindex ephemeral groups
28224 @cindex temporary groups
28225 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
28226 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
28227 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
28230 @cindex solid groups
28231 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
28232 group buffer are solid groups.
28234 @item sparse articles
28235 @cindex sparse articles
28236 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
28237 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
28241 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
28242 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
28246 @cindex thread root
28247 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
28248 articles in the thread.
28252 An article that has responses.
28256 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
28260 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
28261 specified by RFC 1153.
28264 @cindex splitting, terminology
28265 @cindex mail sorting
28266 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
28267 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
28268 incorrectly called mail filtering.
28274 @node Customization
28275 @section Customization
28276 @cindex general customization
28278 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
28279 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
28280 for some quite common situations.
28283 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
28284 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
28285 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
28286 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
28290 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
28291 @subsection Slow/Expensive Connection
28293 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
28294 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
28295 Gnus has to get from the server.
28299 @item gnus-read-active-file
28300 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
28301 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
28302 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28303 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
28304 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
28306 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
28307 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
28308 Usually this one must @emph{always} be @code{nil} (which is the
28309 default). If, for example, you wish to not use @acronym{NOV}
28310 (@pxref{Terminology}) with the @code{nntp} back end (@pxref{Crosspost
28311 Handling}), set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to a non-@code{nil} value
28312 instead of setting this. But you normally do not need to set
28313 @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} since Gnus by itself will detect whether the
28314 @acronym{NNTP} server supports @acronym{NOV}. Anyway, grabbing article
28315 headers from the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast if you tell
28316 Gnus not to use @acronym{NOV}.
28318 As the variables for the other back ends, there are
28319 @code{nndiary-nov-is-evil}, @code{nndir-nov-is-evil},
28320 @code{nnfolder-nov-is-evil}, @code{nnimap-nov-is-evil},
28321 @code{nnml-nov-is-evil}, and @code{nnspool-nov-is-evil}. Note that a
28322 non-@code{nil} value for @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} overrides all those
28327 @node Slow Terminal Connection
28328 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
28330 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
28331 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
28332 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
28336 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
28337 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
28338 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
28339 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
28340 horizontal and vertical recentering.
28342 @item gnus-visible-headers
28343 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
28344 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
28345 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
28346 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
28348 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
28350 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
28351 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
28352 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
28355 @item gnus-use-full-window
28356 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
28357 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
28358 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
28359 want to read them anyway.
28361 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
28362 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
28366 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
28367 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
28368 lines, which might save some time.
28372 @node Little Disk Space
28373 @subsection Little Disk Space
28376 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
28377 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
28381 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
28382 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
28383 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28384 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28387 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
28388 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
28389 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28390 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28393 @item gnus-save-killed-list
28394 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
28395 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
28396 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
28397 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
28403 @subsection Slow Machine
28404 @cindex slow machine
28406 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
28407 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
28409 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28410 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
28412 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
28413 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
28414 summary buffer faster. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
28418 @node Troubleshooting
28419 @section Troubleshooting
28420 @cindex troubleshooting
28422 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
28430 Make sure your computer is switched on.
28433 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
28434 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
28438 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
28440 @samp{No Gnus v0.10} @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change this line!
28442 you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old @file{.el}
28443 files lying around. Delete these.
28446 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
28447 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
28450 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
28451 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
28452 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
28453 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
28454 something like that.
28457 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
28460 @cindex reporting bugs
28462 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
28464 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
28465 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
28466 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
28467 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
28469 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
28470 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
28471 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
28472 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
28475 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
28476 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
28477 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
28478 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
28479 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
28480 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
28482 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
28483 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
28484 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
28488 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
28489 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
28492 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
28493 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
28494 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
28495 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
28496 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
28497 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
28498 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
28499 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
28500 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
28501 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
28502 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
28503 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
28504 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
28505 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
28510 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
28511 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
28512 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
28513 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
28514 helps isolating the real problem areas).
28516 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
28517 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
28518 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
28519 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
28520 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
28521 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
28522 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
28523 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
28524 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
28525 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
28526 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
28527 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
28528 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
28531 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
28532 @cindex ding mailing list
28533 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
28534 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
28535 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
28536 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
28540 @node Gnus Reference Guide
28541 @section Gnus Reference Guide
28543 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
28544 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
28545 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
28546 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
28549 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
28550 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
28551 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
28552 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
28553 and general methods of operation.
28556 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
28557 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
28558 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
28559 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
28560 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
28561 * Group Info:: The group info format.
28562 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
28563 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
28564 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
28568 @node Gnus Utility Functions
28569 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
28570 @cindex Gnus utility functions
28571 @cindex utility functions
28573 @cindex internal variables
28575 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
28576 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
28577 Below is a list of the most common ones.
28581 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
28582 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
28583 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
28585 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
28586 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
28587 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
28589 @item gnus-group-real-name
28590 @findex gnus-group-real-name
28591 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
28594 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
28595 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
28596 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
28597 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
28599 @item gnus-get-info
28600 @findex gnus-get-info
28601 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
28603 @item gnus-group-unread
28604 @findex gnus-group-unread
28605 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
28609 @findex gnus-active
28610 The active entry for @var{group}.
28612 @item gnus-set-active
28613 @findex gnus-set-active
28614 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
28616 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
28617 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
28618 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
28621 @item gnus-continuum-version
28622 @findex gnus-continuum-version
28623 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
28624 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
28627 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
28628 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
28629 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
28631 @item gnus-news-group-p
28632 @findex gnus-news-group-p
28633 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
28635 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
28636 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
28637 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
28639 @item gnus-server-to-method
28640 @findex gnus-server-to-method
28641 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
28643 @item gnus-server-equal
28644 @findex gnus-server-equal
28645 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
28647 @item gnus-group-native-p
28648 @findex gnus-group-native-p
28649 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
28651 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
28652 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
28653 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
28655 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
28656 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
28657 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
28659 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
28660 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
28661 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
28662 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
28664 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
28665 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
28666 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
28668 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
28669 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
28670 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
28672 @item gnus-check-backend-function
28673 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
28674 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
28675 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
28678 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
28682 @item gnus-read-method
28683 @findex gnus-read-method
28684 Prompts the user for a select method.
28689 @node Back End Interface
28690 @subsection Back End Interface
28692 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
28693 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
28694 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
28695 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
28696 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
28697 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
28699 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
28700 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
28701 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
28702 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
28703 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
28704 been opened, the function should fail.
28706 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
28707 name. Take this example:
28711 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
28712 (nntp-port-number 4324))
28715 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
28716 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
28718 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
28719 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
28720 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
28722 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
28723 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
28724 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
28726 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
28727 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
28728 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
28729 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
28730 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
28731 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
28734 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
28735 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
28736 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
28737 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
28740 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
28741 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
28742 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
28743 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
28744 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
28745 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
28746 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
28747 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
28748 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
28749 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
28751 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
28752 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
28753 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
28754 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
28755 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
28756 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
28757 of numbers as long as possible.
28759 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
28760 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
28761 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
28763 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
28766 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
28769 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
28770 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
28771 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
28772 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
28773 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
28774 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
28778 @node Required Back End Functions
28779 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
28783 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
28785 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
28786 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
28787 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
28788 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
28790 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
28791 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
28792 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
28793 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
28795 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
28796 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
28797 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
28798 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
28799 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
28800 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
28801 number, do maximum fetches.
28803 Here's an example HEAD:
28806 221 1056 Article retrieved.
28807 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
28808 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
28809 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
28810 Subject: Re: Something very droll
28811 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
28812 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
28814 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
28815 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
28816 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
28820 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
28821 these in the data buffer.
28823 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
28827 head = error / valid-head
28828 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
28829 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
28830 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
28831 header = <text> eol
28835 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
28837 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
28838 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
28842 nov-buffer = *nov-line
28843 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
28844 field = <text except TAB>
28847 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
28851 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
28853 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
28854 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
28856 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
28857 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
28858 server. In fact, it should do so.
28860 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
28861 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
28864 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
28866 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
28867 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
28870 There should be no data returned.
28873 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
28875 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
28876 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
28877 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
28878 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
28880 There should be no data returned.
28883 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
28885 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
28886 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
28887 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
28888 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
28890 There should be no data returned.
28893 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
28895 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
28897 There should be no data returned.
28900 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
28902 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
28903 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
28904 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
28905 it would be nice if that were possible.
28907 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
28908 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
28909 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
28910 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
28911 into its article buffer.
28913 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
28914 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
28915 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
28916 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
28917 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
28918 on successful article retrieval.
28921 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST INFO)
28923 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
28924 making @var{group} the current group.
28926 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
28929 If @var{info}, it allows the backend to update the group info
28932 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
28935 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
28938 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
28939 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
28940 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
28941 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
28942 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
28943 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
28944 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
28945 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
28946 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
28950 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
28951 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
28952 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
28956 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28958 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
28959 a no-op on most back ends.
28961 There should be no data returned.
28964 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
28966 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
28969 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
28972 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
28973 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
28976 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
28977 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
28978 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
28979 and the highest as 0.
28982 active-file = *active-line
28983 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
28985 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
28988 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
28989 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
28990 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
28993 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
28995 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
28996 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
28997 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
28998 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
28999 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
29000 clear if the posting could not be completed.
29002 There should be no result data from this function.
29007 @node Optional Back End Functions
29008 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
29012 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
29014 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
29015 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
29016 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
29018 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
29019 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
29020 former is in the same format as the data from
29021 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
29022 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
29025 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
29029 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
29031 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
29032 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
29033 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
29034 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
29035 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
29036 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
29037 the network resources).
29039 There should be no result data from this function.
29042 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
29044 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
29045 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
29046 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
29047 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
29048 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
29049 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
29050 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
29051 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
29053 There should be no result data from this function.
29056 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
29058 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
29059 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
29060 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
29061 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
29062 propagate the mark information to the server.
29064 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
29067 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
29070 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
29071 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
29072 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
29073 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
29074 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
29075 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
29076 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
29077 possible, not limit itself to these.
29079 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
29080 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
29081 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
29082 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
29084 An example action list:
29087 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
29088 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
29089 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
29092 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
29093 mark on (currently not used for anything).
29095 There should be no result data from this function.
29097 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
29099 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
29100 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
29101 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
29102 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
29103 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
29105 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
29106 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
29107 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
29110 There should be no result data from this function.
29113 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
29115 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
29116 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
29117 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
29118 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
29119 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
29120 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
29121 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
29122 local if that's practical.
29124 There should be no result data from this function.
29127 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
29129 The result data from this function should be a description of
29133 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
29135 description = <text>
29138 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
29140 The result data from this function should be the description of all
29141 groups available on the server.
29144 description-buffer = *description-line
29148 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
29150 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
29151 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
29152 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
29153 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
29154 in the active buffer format.
29156 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
29157 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
29158 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
29159 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
29160 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
29161 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
29162 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
29165 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29167 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
29169 There should be no return data.
29172 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
29174 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
29175 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
29176 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
29177 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
29178 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
29181 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
29184 There should be no result data returned.
29187 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
29189 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
29190 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
29192 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
29193 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
29194 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
29195 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
29196 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
29197 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
29199 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
29200 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
29203 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29204 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29206 There should be no data returned.
29209 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
29211 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
29212 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
29213 this function in short order.
29215 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29216 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29218 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
29219 article for that group.
29221 There should be no data returned.
29224 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
29226 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
29227 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
29229 There should be no data returned.
29232 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
29234 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
29235 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
29236 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
29238 There should be no data returned.
29241 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
29243 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
29244 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
29246 There should be no data returned.
29251 @node Error Messaging
29252 @subsubsection Error Messaging
29254 @findex nnheader-report
29255 @findex nnheader-get-report
29256 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
29257 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
29258 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
29259 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
29260 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
29261 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
29264 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
29266 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
29269 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
29270 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
29271 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
29272 takes one argument---the server symbol.
29274 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
29275 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
29276 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
29279 @node Writing New Back Ends
29280 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
29282 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
29283 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
29284 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
29285 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
29286 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
29289 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
29290 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
29291 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
29293 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
29294 package called @code{nnoo}.
29296 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
29297 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
29303 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
29304 parameters. For instance:
29307 (nnoo-declare nndir
29311 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
29312 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
29315 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
29316 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
29317 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
29319 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
29320 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
29321 a function in those back ends.
29324 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29325 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29326 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29329 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
29330 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
29331 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
29333 @item nnoo-define-basics
29334 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
29338 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29342 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
29343 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
29344 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
29346 @item nnoo-map-functions
29347 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
29348 functions from the parent back ends.
29351 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29352 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29353 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
29356 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
29357 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
29358 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
29359 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
29362 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
29363 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
29364 haven't already been defined.
29370 nnmh-request-newgroups)
29374 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
29375 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
29376 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
29381 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
29384 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
29385 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
29389 (require 'nnheader)
29393 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
29395 (nnoo-declare nndir
29398 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29399 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29400 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29402 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
29403 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
29406 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
29408 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
29409 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
29410 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
29412 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
29413 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
29415 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
29417 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29419 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
29420 (setq nndir-directory
29421 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
29423 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
29424 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
29425 (push `(nndir-current-group
29426 ,(file-name-nondirectory
29427 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29429 (push `(nndir-top-directory
29430 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29432 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
29434 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29435 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29436 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29437 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
29438 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
29442 nnmh-status-message
29444 nnmh-request-newgroups))
29450 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29451 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29453 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
29454 @findex gnus-declare-backend
29455 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
29456 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
29457 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
29459 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
29460 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
29465 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
29468 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
29470 The abilities can be:
29474 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
29476 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
29478 This back end supports both mail and news.
29480 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
29483 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
29484 articles and groups.
29486 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
29487 true for almost all back ends.
29488 @item prompt-address
29489 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
29490 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
29491 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
29495 @node Mail-like Back Ends
29496 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
29498 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
29499 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
29500 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
29501 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
29504 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
29505 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
29506 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
29509 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
29510 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
29513 This function takes four parameters.
29517 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
29520 @item exit-function
29521 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
29523 @item temp-directory
29524 Where the temporary files should be stored.
29527 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
29528 performed for one group only.
29531 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
29532 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
29533 find the article number assigned to this article.
29535 The function also uses the following variables:
29536 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
29537 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
29538 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
29539 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
29543 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
29544 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
29548 @node Score File Syntax
29549 @subsection Score File Syntax
29551 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
29552 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
29553 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
29555 Here's a typical score file:
29559 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
29566 BNF definition of a score file:
29569 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
29570 element = rule / atom
29571 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
29572 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
29573 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
29574 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
29576 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
29577 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
29578 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
29579 date-header = "date"
29580 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29581 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29582 score = "nil" / <integer>
29583 date = "nil" / <natural number>
29584 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
29585 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
29586 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
29587 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
29588 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29589 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29590 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
29591 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29592 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
29593 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
29594 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
29595 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
29596 exclude-files / read-only / touched
29597 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
29598 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
29599 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
29600 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
29601 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
29602 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
29603 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
29604 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
29605 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
29606 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
29607 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
29608 eval = "eval" space <form>
29609 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
29612 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
29615 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
29616 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
29617 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
29618 one looong line, then that's ok.
29620 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
29621 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
29625 @subsection Headers
29627 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
29628 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
29629 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
29630 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
29632 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
29633 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
29634 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
29635 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
29636 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
29637 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
29638 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
29640 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
29641 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
29642 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
29643 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
29644 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
29646 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
29647 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
29653 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
29654 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
29656 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
29657 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
29658 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
29659 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
29661 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
29665 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
29668 is transformed into
29671 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
29674 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
29675 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
29678 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
29681 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
29682 is slightly tricky:
29685 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
29691 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
29694 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
29700 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
29707 and is equal to the previous range.
29709 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
29710 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
29711 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
29715 range = simple-range / normal-range
29716 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
29717 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
29718 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
29719 number *[ " " contents ]
29722 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
29723 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
29724 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
29725 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
29726 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
29731 @subsection Group Info
29733 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
29734 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
29735 describes the group.
29737 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
29738 second is a more complex one:
29741 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
29743 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
29744 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
29746 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
29749 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
29750 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
29751 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
29752 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
29753 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
29754 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
29755 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
29756 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
29757 this section is about.
29759 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
29760 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
29761 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
29763 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
29766 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
29767 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
29768 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29769 group = quote <string> quote
29770 ralevel = rank / level
29771 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
29772 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
29773 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
29775 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
29776 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
29777 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
29778 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
29781 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
29782 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
29785 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
29786 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
29789 @item gnus-info-group
29790 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
29791 @findex gnus-info-group
29792 @findex gnus-info-set-group
29793 Get/set the group name.
29795 @item gnus-info-rank
29796 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
29797 @findex gnus-info-rank
29798 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
29799 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
29801 @item gnus-info-level
29802 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
29803 @findex gnus-info-level
29804 @findex gnus-info-set-level
29805 Get/set the group level.
29807 @item gnus-info-score
29808 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
29809 @findex gnus-info-score
29810 @findex gnus-info-set-score
29811 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
29813 @item gnus-info-read
29814 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
29815 @findex gnus-info-read
29816 @findex gnus-info-set-read
29817 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
29819 @item gnus-info-marks
29820 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
29821 @findex gnus-info-marks
29822 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
29823 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
29825 @item gnus-info-method
29826 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
29827 @findex gnus-info-method
29828 @findex gnus-info-set-method
29829 Get/set the group select method.
29831 @item gnus-info-params
29832 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
29833 @findex gnus-info-params
29834 @findex gnus-info-set-params
29835 Get/set the group parameters.
29838 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
29839 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
29841 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
29842 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
29843 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
29844 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
29847 @node Extended Interactive
29848 @subsection Extended Interactive
29849 @cindex interactive
29850 @findex gnus-interactive
29852 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
29853 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
29854 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
29857 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
29858 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
29863 The best thing to do would have been to implement
29864 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
29865 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
29866 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
29867 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
29868 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
29869 @code{interactive}.
29871 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
29876 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
29877 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
29881 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
29882 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
29883 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
29886 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
29890 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
29894 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
29900 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
29901 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
29905 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
29906 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
29907 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
29909 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
29910 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
29911 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
29912 Gnus, that's very useful.
29914 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
29915 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
29916 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
29917 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
29918 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
29919 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
29920 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
29921 following function:
29924 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
29928 (,function ,@@args))
29932 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
29933 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
29934 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
29937 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
29938 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
29939 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
29941 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
29942 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
29943 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
29946 @node Various File Formats
29947 @subsection Various File Formats
29950 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
29951 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
29955 @node Active File Format
29956 @subsubsection Active File Format
29958 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
29959 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
29962 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
29965 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
29966 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
29967 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
29968 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
29969 no.general 1000 900 y
29972 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
29975 active = *group-line
29976 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
29977 group = <non-white-space string>
29979 high-number = <non-negative integer>
29980 low-number = <positive integer>
29981 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
29984 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
29985 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
29988 @node Newsgroups File Format
29989 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
29991 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
29992 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
29993 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
29996 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
29997 Here's the definition:
30001 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
30002 group = <non-white-space string>
30004 description = <string>
30009 @node Emacs for Heathens
30010 @section Emacs for Heathens
30012 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
30013 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
30014 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
30015 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
30016 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
30017 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
30018 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
30022 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
30023 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
30028 @subsection Keystrokes
30032 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
30035 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
30038 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
30039 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
30040 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
30041 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
30042 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
30043 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
30045 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
30046 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
30047 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
30048 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
30049 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
30050 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
30051 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
30053 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
30054 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
30055 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
30056 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
30057 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
30058 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
30059 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
30061 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
30062 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
30063 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
30064 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
30065 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
30071 @subsection Emacs Lisp
30073 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
30074 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
30075 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
30076 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
30078 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
30079 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
30080 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
30081 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
30082 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
30083 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
30084 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
30085 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
30086 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
30087 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
30089 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
30090 write the following:
30093 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
30096 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
30097 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
30098 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
30099 change how Gnus works.
30101 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
30102 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
30103 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
30104 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
30105 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
30107 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
30108 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
30109 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
30113 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
30117 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
30120 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
30121 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
30124 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
30127 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
30128 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
30131 @include gnus-faq.texi
30133 @node GNU Free Documentation License
30134 @chapter GNU Free Documentation License
30135 @include doclicense.texi
30153 @c Local Variables:
30155 @c coding: iso-8859-1