10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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284 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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293 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
295 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
299 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
300 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
301 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
302 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
303 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
304 License'' in the Emacs manual.
306 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
307 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
308 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
310 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
311 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
312 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
313 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
321 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
323 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
324 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
326 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
327 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
328 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
329 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
330 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
331 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
332 License'' in the Emacs manual.
334 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
335 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
336 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
338 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
339 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
340 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
341 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
349 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
352 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
353 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
355 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
357 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
358 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
359 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
360 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
361 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
362 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
363 License'' in the Emacs manual.
365 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
366 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
367 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
369 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
370 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
371 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
372 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
381 @top The Gnus Newsreader
385 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
386 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
387 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
390 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.15.
401 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
402 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
404 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
405 being accused of plagiarism:
407 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
408 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
409 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
410 can even read news with it!
412 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
413 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
414 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
415 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
416 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
422 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
423 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
424 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
425 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
426 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
427 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
428 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
429 * Various:: General purpose settings.
430 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
431 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
432 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
433 * Key Index:: Key Index.
435 Other related manuals
437 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
438 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; MIME-specific parts.
439 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
440 * PGG:(pgg). PGP/MIME with Gnus.
443 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
447 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
448 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
449 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
450 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
451 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
452 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
453 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
454 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
455 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
456 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
457 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
461 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
462 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
463 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
467 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
468 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
469 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
470 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
471 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
472 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
473 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
474 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
475 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
476 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
477 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
478 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
479 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
480 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
481 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
482 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
483 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
487 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
488 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
489 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
493 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
494 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
495 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
496 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
497 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
501 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
502 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
503 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
504 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
505 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
509 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
510 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
511 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
512 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
513 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
514 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
515 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
516 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
517 * Threading:: How threads are made.
518 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
519 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
520 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
521 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
522 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
523 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
524 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
525 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
526 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
527 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
528 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
529 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
530 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
531 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
532 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
533 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
534 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
535 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
536 or reselecting the current group.
537 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
538 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
539 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
540 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
542 Summary Buffer Format
544 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
545 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
546 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
547 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
551 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
552 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
554 Reply, Followup and Post
556 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
557 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
558 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
559 * Canceling and Superseding::
563 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
564 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
565 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
567 * Generic Marking Commands::
568 * Setting Process Marks::
572 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
573 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
574 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
578 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
579 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
581 Customizing Threading
583 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
584 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
585 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
586 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
590 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
591 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
592 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
593 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
594 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
595 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
599 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
600 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
601 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
605 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
606 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
607 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
608 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
609 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
610 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
611 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
612 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
613 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
614 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
616 Alternative Approaches
618 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
619 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
621 Various Summary Stuff
623 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
624 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
625 * Summary Generation Commands::
626 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
630 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
631 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
632 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
633 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
634 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
638 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
639 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
640 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
641 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
642 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
643 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
644 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
645 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
649 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
650 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
651 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
652 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
653 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
654 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
655 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
656 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
660 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
661 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
662 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
663 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
664 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
665 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
666 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
670 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
671 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
675 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
676 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
677 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
681 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
682 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
683 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
684 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
685 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
686 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
687 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
688 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
689 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
690 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
691 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
692 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
693 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
697 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
698 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
699 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
701 Choosing a Mail Back End
703 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
704 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
705 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
706 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
707 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
708 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
713 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
714 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
715 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
716 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
717 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
718 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
722 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
723 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
724 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
725 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
726 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
730 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
731 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
732 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
733 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
734 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
738 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
742 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
743 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
744 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
748 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
749 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
753 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
754 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
755 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
756 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
757 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
758 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
759 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
760 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
761 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
762 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
763 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
764 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
768 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
769 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
770 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
774 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
775 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
776 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
780 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
781 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
782 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
783 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
784 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
785 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
786 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
787 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
788 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
789 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
790 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
791 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
792 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
793 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
794 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
795 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
796 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
800 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
801 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
802 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
803 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
807 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
808 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
809 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
813 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
814 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
815 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
816 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
817 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
818 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
819 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
820 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
821 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
822 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
823 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
824 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
825 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
826 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
827 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
828 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
829 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
830 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
831 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
835 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
836 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
837 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
838 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
839 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
840 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
841 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
842 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
846 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
847 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
848 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
849 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
853 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
854 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
855 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
856 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
857 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
858 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
862 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
863 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
864 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
865 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
866 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
867 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
868 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
869 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
870 * Frequently Asked Questions::
874 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
875 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
876 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
877 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
878 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
879 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
880 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
881 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
882 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
886 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
887 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
888 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
889 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
890 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
894 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
895 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
896 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
897 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
901 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
902 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
903 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
904 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
905 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
906 * Group Info:: The group info format.
907 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
908 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
909 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
913 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
914 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
915 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
916 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
917 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
918 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
922 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
923 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
927 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
928 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
934 @chapter Starting Gnus
939 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
940 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
943 @findex gnus-other-frame
944 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
945 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
946 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
948 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
949 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
950 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
952 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
953 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
956 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
957 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
958 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
959 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
960 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
961 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
962 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
963 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
964 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
965 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
966 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
970 @node Finding the News
971 @section Finding the News
974 @vindex gnus-select-method
976 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
977 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
978 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
979 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
982 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
983 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
986 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
989 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
992 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
995 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
996 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
997 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
999 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1001 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
1002 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1003 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1004 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1005 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1006 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1008 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1009 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1010 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1011 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1013 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1014 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1015 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1016 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1017 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1018 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1019 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1020 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1021 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1024 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1026 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1027 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1028 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1029 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1030 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1031 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1033 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1035 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1036 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1037 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1038 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1039 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1040 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1043 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1044 you would typically set this variable to
1047 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1051 @node The First Time
1052 @section The First Time
1053 @cindex first time usage
1055 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1056 be subscribed by default.
1058 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1059 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1060 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1061 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1064 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1065 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1066 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1068 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1069 help you with most common problems.
1071 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1072 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1076 @node The Server is Down
1077 @section The Server is Down
1078 @cindex server errors
1080 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1081 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1082 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1084 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1085 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1086 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1087 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1088 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1089 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1090 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1092 @findex gnus-no-server
1093 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1095 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1096 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1097 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1098 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1099 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1100 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1101 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1105 @section Slave Gnusae
1108 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1109 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1110 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1111 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1113 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1114 @file{.newsrc} file.
1116 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1117 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1118 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1119 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1120 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1121 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1122 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1125 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1126 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1127 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1128 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1129 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1130 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1131 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1132 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1134 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1135 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1137 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1138 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1139 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1140 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1141 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1143 @node Fetching a Group
1144 @section Fetching a Group
1145 @cindex fetching a group
1147 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1148 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1149 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1150 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1151 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1152 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1158 @cindex subscription
1160 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1161 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1162 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1163 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1164 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1165 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1166 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1167 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1168 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1171 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1172 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1173 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1177 @node Checking New Groups
1178 @subsection Checking New Groups
1180 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1181 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1182 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1183 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1184 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1185 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1186 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1187 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1188 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1189 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1191 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1192 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1193 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1194 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1195 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1196 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1197 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1198 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1199 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1200 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1201 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1203 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1204 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1205 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1206 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1207 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1208 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1211 @node Subscription Methods
1212 @subsection Subscription Methods
1214 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1215 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1216 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1218 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1219 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1221 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1225 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1227 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1228 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1229 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1231 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1232 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1233 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1234 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1236 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1237 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1238 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1240 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1241 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1242 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1243 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1244 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1245 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1246 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1247 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1248 up. Or something like that.
1250 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1252 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1253 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1254 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1256 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1257 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1258 Kill all new groups.
1260 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1261 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1262 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1263 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1264 topic parameter that looks like
1270 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1273 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1278 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1279 A closely related variable is
1280 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1281 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1282 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1283 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1286 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1287 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1288 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1289 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1292 @node Filtering New Groups
1293 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1295 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1296 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1297 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1300 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1303 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1304 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1305 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1306 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1307 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1308 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1309 subscribing these groups.
1310 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1311 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1313 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1314 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1315 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1316 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1317 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1318 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1319 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1320 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1322 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1323 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1324 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1325 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1326 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1327 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1328 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1329 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1330 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1331 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1334 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1335 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1338 @node Changing Servers
1339 @section Changing Servers
1340 @cindex changing servers
1342 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1343 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1344 very flaky and you want to use another.
1346 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1347 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1351 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1352 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1353 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1354 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1357 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1358 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1359 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1360 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1362 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1363 @findex gnus-change-server
1364 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1365 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1366 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1367 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1368 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1370 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1371 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1372 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1373 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1374 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1376 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1377 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1378 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1379 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1380 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1381 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1383 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1384 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1385 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1386 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1388 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1389 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1390 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1391 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1392 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1393 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1394 cache for all groups).
1398 @section Startup Files
1399 @cindex startup files
1404 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1405 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1407 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1408 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1409 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1410 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1411 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1412 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1413 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1415 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1416 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1417 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1418 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1419 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1420 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1422 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1423 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1424 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1425 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1426 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1427 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1428 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1429 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1430 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1431 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1433 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1434 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1435 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1436 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1437 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1438 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1439 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1440 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1441 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1442 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1443 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1444 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1446 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1447 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1448 @vindex version-control
1449 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1450 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1451 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1452 If you want version control for this file, set
1453 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1454 @code{version-control} variable.
1456 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1457 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1458 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1459 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1460 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1461 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1462 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1463 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1464 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1465 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1468 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1469 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1471 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1472 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1475 @vindex gnus-init-file
1476 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1477 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1478 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1479 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1480 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1481 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1482 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1483 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1484 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1485 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1491 @cindex dribble file
1494 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1495 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1496 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1497 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1498 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1501 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1502 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1505 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1506 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1507 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1509 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1510 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1511 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1512 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1513 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1514 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1516 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1517 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1518 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1521 @node The Active File
1522 @section The Active File
1524 @cindex ignored groups
1526 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1527 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1528 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1530 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1531 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1532 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1533 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1534 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1535 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1536 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1539 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1540 @c if you set it to anything else.
1542 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1544 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1545 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1546 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1548 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1549 you actually subscribe to.
1551 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1552 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1553 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1554 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1556 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1557 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1558 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1559 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1560 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1561 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1563 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1564 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1565 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1568 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1569 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1570 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1571 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1572 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1573 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1575 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1576 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1578 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1579 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1581 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1582 secondary select methods.
1585 @node Startup Variables
1586 @section Startup Variables
1590 @item gnus-load-hook
1591 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1592 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1593 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1594 times you start Gnus.
1596 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1597 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1598 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1600 @item gnus-startup-hook
1601 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1602 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1604 @item gnus-started-hook
1605 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1606 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1609 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1610 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1611 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1612 generating the group buffer.
1614 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1615 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1616 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1617 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1618 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1619 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1620 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1621 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1623 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1624 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1625 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1626 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1627 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1628 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1630 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1631 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1632 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1634 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1635 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1636 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1638 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1639 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1640 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1641 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1647 @chapter Group Buffer
1648 @cindex group buffer
1650 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1652 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1653 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1654 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1655 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1656 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1657 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1658 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1659 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1660 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1661 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1662 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1663 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1664 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1665 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1666 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1667 @c human rights at 9...
1670 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1671 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1672 long as Gnus is active.
1676 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1677 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1678 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1679 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1680 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1681 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1682 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1683 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1689 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1690 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1691 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1692 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1693 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1694 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1695 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1696 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1697 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1698 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1699 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1700 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1701 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1702 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1703 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1704 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1705 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1709 @node Group Buffer Format
1710 @section Group Buffer Format
1713 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1714 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1715 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1719 @node Group Line Specification
1720 @subsection Group Line Specification
1721 @cindex group buffer format
1723 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1724 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1726 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1729 25: news.announce.newusers
1730 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1735 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1736 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1737 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1738 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1740 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1741 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1742 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1743 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1744 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1745 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1747 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1749 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1750 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1751 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1752 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1753 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1755 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1756 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1757 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1759 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1764 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1767 Whether the group is subscribed.
1770 Level of subscribedness.
1773 Number of unread articles.
1776 Number of dormant articles.
1779 Number of ticked articles.
1782 Number of read articles.
1785 Number of unseen articles.
1788 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1789 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1791 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1792 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1793 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1794 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1795 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1796 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1797 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1798 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1801 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1804 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1813 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1814 comment element in the group parameters.
1817 Newsgroup description.
1820 @samp{m} if moderated.
1823 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1829 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1835 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1839 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1842 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1843 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1844 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1845 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1846 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1849 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1851 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1855 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1858 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1862 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1863 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1864 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1865 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1866 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1867 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1872 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1873 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1874 group, or a bogus native group.
1877 @node Group Modeline Specification
1878 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1879 @cindex group modeline
1881 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1882 The mode line can be changed by setting
1883 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1884 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1888 The native news server.
1890 The native select method.
1894 @node Group Highlighting
1895 @subsection Group Highlighting
1896 @cindex highlighting
1897 @cindex group highlighting
1899 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1900 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1901 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1902 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1903 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1905 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1909 (cond (window-system
1910 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1911 (defface my-group-face-1
1912 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1913 (defface my-group-face-2
1914 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1915 (defface my-group-face-3
1916 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1917 (defface my-group-face-4
1918 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1919 (defface my-group-face-5
1920 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1922 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1923 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1924 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1925 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1926 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1927 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1930 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1932 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1939 The number of unread articles in the group.
1943 Whether the group is a mail group.
1945 The level of the group.
1947 The score of the group.
1949 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1951 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1952 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1954 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1955 topic being inserted.
1958 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1959 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1960 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1962 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1963 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1964 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1965 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1966 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1969 @node Group Maneuvering
1970 @section Group Maneuvering
1971 @cindex group movement
1973 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1974 expected, hopefully.
1980 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1981 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1982 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1988 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1989 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1990 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1994 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1995 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1999 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2000 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2004 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2005 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2006 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2010 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2011 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2012 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2015 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2021 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2022 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2023 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2028 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2029 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2030 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2034 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2035 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2036 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2039 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2040 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2041 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2042 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2046 @node Selecting a Group
2047 @section Selecting a Group
2048 @cindex group selection
2053 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2054 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2055 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2056 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2057 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2058 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2059 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2060 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2061 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2062 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2064 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2065 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2066 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2068 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2069 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2074 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2075 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2076 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2077 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2078 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2082 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2083 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2084 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2085 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2086 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2087 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2088 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2089 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2090 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2091 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2094 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2095 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2096 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2097 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2098 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2101 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2102 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2103 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2104 doing any processing of its contents
2105 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2106 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2107 manner will have no permanent effects.
2111 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2112 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2113 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2114 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2115 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2116 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2117 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2118 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2121 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2122 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2123 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2124 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2125 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2126 Which article this is is controlled by the
2127 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2133 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2136 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2139 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2141 @item unseen-or-unread
2142 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2143 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2147 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2151 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2152 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2154 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2155 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2156 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2157 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2161 @node Subscription Commands
2162 @section Subscription Commands
2163 @cindex subscription
2171 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2172 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2173 Toggle subscription to the current group
2174 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2180 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2181 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2182 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2183 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2189 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2190 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2191 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2197 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2198 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2201 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2202 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2203 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2204 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2205 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2211 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2212 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2216 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2217 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2220 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2221 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2222 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2223 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2224 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2225 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2226 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2227 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2228 @file{.newsrc} file.
2232 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2242 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2243 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2244 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2245 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2246 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2247 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2252 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2253 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2254 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2258 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2259 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2260 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2262 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2263 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2264 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2265 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2266 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2267 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2274 @section Group Levels
2278 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2279 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2280 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2281 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2282 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2284 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2290 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2291 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2292 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2293 prompted for a level.
2296 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2297 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2298 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2299 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2300 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2301 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2302 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2303 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2304 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2305 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2306 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2307 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2308 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2309 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2310 reasons of efficiency.
2312 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2313 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2315 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2316 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2317 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2318 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2319 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2320 groups are hidden, in a way.
2322 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2323 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2324 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2325 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2326 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2327 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2329 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2330 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2331 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2332 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2333 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2334 list of killed groups.)
2336 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2337 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2338 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2340 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2341 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2342 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2343 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2344 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2345 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2346 relevant valid ranges.
2348 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2349 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2350 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2351 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2352 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2353 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2356 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2357 one with the best level.
2359 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2360 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2361 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2364 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2365 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2366 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2367 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2370 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2371 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2372 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2373 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2375 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2376 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2377 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2378 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2379 to 5. The default is 6.
2383 @section Group Score
2388 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2389 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2390 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2393 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2394 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2395 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2396 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2397 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2398 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2399 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2400 least significant part.))
2402 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2403 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2404 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2405 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2406 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2407 action after each summary exit, you can add
2408 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2409 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2410 slow things down somewhat.
2413 @node Marking Groups
2414 @section Marking Groups
2415 @cindex marking groups
2417 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2418 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2419 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2420 bidding on those groups.
2422 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2423 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2424 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2432 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2433 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2439 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2440 Remove the mark from the current group
2441 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2445 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2446 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2450 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2451 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2455 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2456 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2460 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2461 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2462 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2465 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2467 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2468 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2469 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2470 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2471 the command to be executed.
2474 @node Foreign Groups
2475 @section Foreign Groups
2476 @cindex foreign groups
2478 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2479 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2480 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2481 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2488 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2489 @cindex making groups
2490 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2491 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2492 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2496 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2497 @cindex renaming groups
2498 Rename the current group to something else
2499 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2500 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2506 @findex gnus-group-customize
2507 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2511 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2512 @cindex renaming groups
2513 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2514 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2518 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2519 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2520 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2524 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2525 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2526 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2530 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2532 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2533 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2538 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2539 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2543 @cindex (ding) archive
2544 @cindex archive group
2545 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2546 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2547 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2548 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2549 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2550 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2551 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2555 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2557 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2558 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2559 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2560 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2564 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2566 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2567 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2568 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2572 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2573 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2575 Make a group based on some file or other
2576 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2577 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2578 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2579 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2580 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2581 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2582 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2583 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2584 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2588 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2589 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2590 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2591 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2595 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2599 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2600 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2601 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2602 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2603 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2604 @xref{Web Searches}.
2606 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2607 to a particular group by using a match string like
2608 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2611 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2612 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2613 This function will delete the current group
2614 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2615 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2616 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2617 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2618 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2622 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2623 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2624 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2628 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2629 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2630 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2633 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2636 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2637 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2638 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2639 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2640 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2641 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2645 @node Group Parameters
2646 @section Group Parameters
2647 @cindex group parameters
2649 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2650 Here's an example group parameter list:
2653 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2657 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2658 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2659 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2660 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2662 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2663 is an alist of regexps and values.
2665 The following group parameters can be used:
2670 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2673 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2676 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2677 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2678 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2679 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2680 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2682 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2683 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2684 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2685 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2686 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2687 list address instead.
2689 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2693 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2696 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2699 It is totally ignored
2700 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2701 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2703 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2704 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2705 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2706 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2707 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2709 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2710 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2711 sending the message.
2713 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2714 @cindex Mail List Groups
2715 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2716 entering summary buffer.
2718 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2723 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2724 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2725 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2726 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2727 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2728 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2730 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2731 directly uses this group parameter.
2735 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2736 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2737 of whether it has any unread articles.
2739 @item broken-reply-to
2740 @cindex broken-reply-to
2741 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2742 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2743 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2744 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2745 broken behavior. So there!
2749 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2750 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2754 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2755 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2756 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2761 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2762 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2763 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2764 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2765 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2766 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2767 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2768 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2769 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2773 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2774 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2775 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2777 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2780 @cindex total-expire
2781 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2782 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2783 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2784 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2787 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2791 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2792 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2793 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2794 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2795 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2796 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2797 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2800 @cindex score file group parameter
2801 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2802 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2803 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2806 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2807 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2808 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2809 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2812 @cindex admin-address
2813 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2814 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2815 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2816 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2820 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2821 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2825 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2828 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2829 entering the group with C-u @var{integer}.
2832 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2836 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2838 Here are some examples:
2842 Display only unread articles.
2845 Display everything except expirable articles.
2847 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2848 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2852 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2853 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2854 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2855 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2856 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2860 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2861 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2862 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2866 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2867 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2868 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2872 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2873 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2874 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2876 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2878 @item ignored-charsets
2879 @cindex ignored-charset
2880 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2881 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2882 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2884 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2887 @cindex posting-style
2888 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2889 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2890 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2891 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2892 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2894 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2895 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2896 like this in the group parameters:
2901 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2902 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2907 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2908 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2912 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2913 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2914 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2915 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2916 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2920 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2921 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2922 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2923 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2925 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2926 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2927 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2928 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2931 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2932 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2936 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2939 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2940 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2941 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2942 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2943 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2944 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2945 @code{eval}ed there.
2947 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2948 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2949 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2950 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2951 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2952 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2953 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2954 parameters for the group.
2957 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2958 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2959 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2960 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2961 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2965 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2966 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2967 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2968 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2969 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2971 @vindex gnus-parameters
2972 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2973 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2977 (setq gnus-parameters
2979 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2980 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2981 (gnus-summary-line-format
2982 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2986 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2990 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2994 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2997 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2998 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3001 @node Listing Groups
3002 @section Listing Groups
3003 @cindex group listing
3005 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3013 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3014 List all groups that have unread articles
3015 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3016 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3017 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
3018 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3025 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3026 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3027 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3028 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3029 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3030 unsubscribed groups).
3034 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3035 List all unread groups on a specific level
3036 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3037 with no unread articles.
3041 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3042 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3043 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3044 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3049 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3050 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3054 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3055 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3056 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3060 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3061 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3065 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3066 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3067 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3068 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3069 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3070 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3071 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3072 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3076 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3077 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3078 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3082 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3083 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3084 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3088 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3089 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3093 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3094 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3098 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3099 List groups limited within the current selection
3100 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3104 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3105 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3109 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3110 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3114 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3115 @cindex visible group parameter
3116 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3117 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3118 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3119 get the same effect.
3121 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3122 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3123 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3124 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3125 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3128 @node Sorting Groups
3129 @section Sorting Groups
3130 @cindex sorting groups
3132 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3133 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3134 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3135 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3136 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3137 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3142 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3143 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3144 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3146 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3147 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3148 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3150 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3151 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3152 Sort by group level.
3154 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3155 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3156 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3158 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3159 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3160 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3161 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3163 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3164 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3165 Sort by number of unread articles.
3167 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3168 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3169 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3171 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3172 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3173 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3178 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3179 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3183 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3184 some sorting criteria:
3188 @kindex G S a (Group)
3189 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3190 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3191 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3194 @kindex G S u (Group)
3195 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3196 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3197 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3200 @kindex G S l (Group)
3201 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3202 Sort the group buffer by group level
3203 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3206 @kindex G S v (Group)
3207 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3208 Sort the group buffer by group score
3209 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3212 @kindex G S r (Group)
3213 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3214 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3215 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3218 @kindex G S m (Group)
3219 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3220 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3221 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3224 @kindex G S n (Group)
3225 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3226 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3227 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3231 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3232 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3234 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3235 commands will sort in reverse order.
3237 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3241 @kindex G P a (Group)
3242 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3243 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3244 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3247 @kindex G P u (Group)
3248 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3249 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3250 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3253 @kindex G P l (Group)
3254 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3255 Sort the groups by group level
3256 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3259 @kindex G P v (Group)
3260 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3261 Sort the groups by group score
3262 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3265 @kindex G P r (Group)
3266 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3267 Sort the groups by group rank
3268 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3271 @kindex G P m (Group)
3272 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3273 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3274 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3277 @kindex G P n (Group)
3278 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3279 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3280 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3283 @kindex G P s (Group)
3284 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3285 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3289 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3293 @node Group Maintenance
3294 @section Group Maintenance
3295 @cindex bogus groups
3300 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3301 Find bogus groups and delete them
3302 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3306 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3307 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3308 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3309 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3310 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3314 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3315 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3316 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3317 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3318 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3319 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3322 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3323 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3324 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3325 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3330 @node Browse Foreign Server
3331 @section Browse Foreign Server
3332 @cindex foreign servers
3333 @cindex browsing servers
3338 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3339 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3340 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3341 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3344 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3345 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3346 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3347 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3349 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3354 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3355 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3359 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3360 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3363 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3364 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3365 Enter the current group and display the first article
3366 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3369 @kindex RET (Browse)
3370 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3371 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3375 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3376 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3377 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3383 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3384 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3388 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3389 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3393 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3394 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3395 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3400 @section Exiting Gnus
3401 @cindex exiting Gnus
3403 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3408 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3409 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3410 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3411 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3415 @findex gnus-group-exit
3416 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3417 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3421 @findex gnus-group-quit
3422 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3423 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3426 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3427 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3428 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3429 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3430 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3431 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3436 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3437 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3438 trying to customize meta-variables.
3443 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3444 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3445 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3451 @section Group Topics
3454 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3455 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3456 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3457 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3458 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3459 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3463 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3464 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3475 2: alt.religion.emacs
3478 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3480 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3481 13: comp.sources.unix
3484 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3486 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3487 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3488 is a toggling command.)
3490 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3491 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3492 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3493 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3496 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3497 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3498 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3501 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3505 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3506 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3507 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3508 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3509 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3513 @node Topic Commands
3514 @subsection Topic Commands
3515 @cindex topic commands
3517 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3518 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3519 definitions slightly.
3521 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3522 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3523 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3524 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3525 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3526 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3528 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3535 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3536 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3537 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3541 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3543 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3544 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3545 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3546 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3549 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3550 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3551 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3552 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3556 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3557 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3558 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3559 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3565 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3566 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3567 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3571 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3572 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3573 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3576 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3577 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3578 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3579 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3580 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3582 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3583 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3587 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3588 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3595 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3597 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3598 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3599 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3600 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3601 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3602 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3606 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3612 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3613 Move the current group to some other topic
3614 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3615 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3619 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3620 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3624 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3625 Copy the current group to some other topic
3626 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3627 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3631 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3632 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3633 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3637 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3638 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3639 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3643 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3644 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3645 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3646 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3647 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3648 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3649 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3652 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3653 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3657 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3658 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3659 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3663 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3664 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3665 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3669 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3670 Toggle hiding empty topics
3671 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3675 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3676 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3677 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3678 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3681 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3682 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3683 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3684 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3685 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3688 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3689 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3690 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3691 expiry process (if any)
3692 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3696 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3697 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3700 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3701 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3702 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3706 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3707 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3708 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3711 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3712 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3713 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3716 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3717 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3718 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3722 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3723 @cindex group parameters
3724 @cindex topic parameters
3726 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3727 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3732 @node Topic Variables
3733 @subsection Topic Variables
3734 @cindex topic variables
3736 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3737 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3739 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3740 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3741 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3754 Number of groups in the topic.
3756 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3758 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3761 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3762 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3763 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3766 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3767 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3769 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3770 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3771 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3775 @subsection Topic Sorting
3776 @cindex topic sorting
3778 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3784 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3785 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3786 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3787 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3790 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3791 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3792 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3793 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3796 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3797 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3798 Sort the current topic by group level
3799 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3802 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3803 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3804 Sort the current topic by group score
3805 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3808 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3809 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3810 Sort the current topic by group rank
3811 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3814 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3815 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3816 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3817 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3820 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3821 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3822 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3823 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3827 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3828 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3829 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3830 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3834 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3835 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3839 @node Topic Topology
3840 @subsection Topic Topology
3841 @cindex topic topology
3844 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3850 2: alt.religion.emacs
3853 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3855 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3856 13: comp.sources.unix
3859 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3860 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3861 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3866 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3867 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3871 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3872 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3873 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3874 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3875 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3876 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3878 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3879 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3880 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3883 @node Topic Parameters
3884 @subsection Topic Parameters
3885 @cindex topic parameters
3887 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3888 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3889 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3891 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3896 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3897 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3898 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3901 @item subscribe-level
3902 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3903 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3904 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3908 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3909 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3910 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3911 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3917 2: alt.religion.emacs
3921 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3923 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3924 13: comp.sources.unix
3928 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3929 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3930 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3931 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3932 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3933 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3935 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3936 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3937 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3938 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3939 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3941 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3942 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3943 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3944 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3945 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3946 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3947 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3948 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3951 @node Misc Group Stuff
3952 @section Misc Group Stuff
3955 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3956 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3957 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3958 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3959 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3966 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3967 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3968 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3972 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3973 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3974 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3975 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3976 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3977 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3978 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3982 @findex gnus-group-mail
3983 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3984 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3985 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3986 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3990 @findex gnus-group-news
3991 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3992 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3993 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3995 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3996 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
3997 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3998 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3999 for this to work though.
4003 Variables for the group buffer:
4007 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4008 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4009 is called after the group buffer has been
4012 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4013 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4014 is called after the group buffer is
4015 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4018 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4019 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4020 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4021 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4023 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4024 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4025 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4026 whether they are empty or not.
4028 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4029 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4030 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4031 non-ASCII group names.
4035 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4036 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4039 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4040 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4041 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4042 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4043 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4044 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is
4049 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4050 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4055 @node Scanning New Messages
4056 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4057 @cindex new messages
4058 @cindex scanning new news
4064 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4065 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4066 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4067 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4068 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4069 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4074 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4075 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4076 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4077 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4078 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4079 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4080 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4082 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4083 @cindex activating groups
4085 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4086 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4091 @findex gnus-group-restart
4092 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4093 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4094 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4098 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4099 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4101 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4102 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4106 @node Group Information
4107 @subsection Group Information
4108 @cindex group information
4109 @cindex information on groups
4116 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4117 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4120 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4121 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4122 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4123 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4124 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4125 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4126 for fetching the file.
4128 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4129 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4133 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4134 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4136 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4137 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4140 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4141 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4142 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4146 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4147 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4148 @cindex control message
4149 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4150 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4151 group if given a prefix argument.
4153 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4154 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4155 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4156 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4158 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4159 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4160 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4164 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4166 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4167 @cindex describing groups
4168 @cindex group description
4169 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4170 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4171 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4175 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4176 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4177 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4184 @findex gnus-version
4185 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4189 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4190 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4193 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4196 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4197 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4201 @node Group Timestamp
4202 @subsection Group Timestamp
4204 @cindex group timestamps
4206 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4207 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4208 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4211 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4214 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4216 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4217 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4220 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4221 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4224 This will result in lines looking like:
4227 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4228 0: custom 19961002T012713
4231 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4232 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4236 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4237 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4240 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4241 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4245 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4246 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4247 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4248 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4250 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4256 @subsection File Commands
4257 @cindex file commands
4263 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4264 @vindex gnus-init-file
4265 @cindex reading init file
4266 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4267 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4271 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4272 @cindex saving .newsrc
4273 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4274 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4275 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4278 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4279 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4280 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4285 @node Sieve Commands
4286 @subsection Sieve Commands
4287 @cindex group sieve commands
4289 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4290 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4291 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4292 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4293 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4295 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4296 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4297 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4298 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4299 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4300 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4301 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4302 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4303 regenerate the Sieve script.
4305 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4306 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4307 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4308 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4309 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4310 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4311 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4312 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4313 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4314 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4317 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4318 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4323 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4329 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4330 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4331 @cindex generating sieve script
4332 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4333 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4337 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4338 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4339 @cindex updating sieve script
4340 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4341 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4342 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4347 @node Summary Buffer
4348 @chapter Summary Buffer
4349 @cindex summary buffer
4351 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4352 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4354 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4355 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4357 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4360 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4361 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4362 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4363 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4364 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4365 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4366 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4367 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4368 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4369 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4370 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4371 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4372 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4373 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4374 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4375 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4376 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4377 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4378 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4379 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4380 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4381 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4382 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4383 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4384 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4385 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4386 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4387 or reselecting the current group.
4388 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4389 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4390 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4391 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4395 @node Summary Buffer Format
4396 @section Summary Buffer Format
4397 @cindex summary buffer format
4401 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4402 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4403 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4409 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4410 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4411 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4412 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4415 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4416 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4417 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4418 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4419 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4420 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4421 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4422 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4423 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4424 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4425 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4428 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4429 'mail-extract-address-components)
4432 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4433 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4434 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4435 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4438 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4439 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4441 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4442 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4443 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4444 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4445 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4447 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4448 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4449 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4450 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4451 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4452 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4454 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4456 The following format specification characters and extended format
4457 specification(s) are understood:
4463 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4464 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4466 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4467 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4468 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4470 Full @code{From} header.
4472 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4474 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4477 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4478 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4479 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4480 may be more thorough.
4482 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4485 Number of lines in the article.
4487 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4488 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4490 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4491 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4493 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4495 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4496 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4509 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4510 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4511 replacing the default ASCII characters with graphic line-drawing
4514 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4515 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4516 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4517 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4519 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4520 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4521 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4522 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4524 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4525 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4526 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4528 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4529 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4530 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4532 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4533 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4534 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4536 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4537 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4538 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4543 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4544 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4546 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4547 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4549 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4550 for adopted articles.
4552 One space for each thread level.
4554 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4556 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4559 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4560 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4561 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4564 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4566 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4567 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4568 default level. If the difference between
4569 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4570 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4578 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4580 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4586 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4587 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4589 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4590 article has any children.
4596 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4597 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4599 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4600 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4601 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4602 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4603 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4604 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4607 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4608 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4609 There can only be one such area.
4611 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4612 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4613 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4614 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4615 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4616 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4618 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4619 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4621 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4624 @node To From Newsgroups
4625 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4629 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4630 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4631 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4632 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4633 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4637 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4638 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4639 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4643 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4644 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4647 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4648 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4651 @findex gnus-extra-header
4652 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4653 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4654 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4657 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4661 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4662 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4663 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4664 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4665 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4666 headers are used instead.
4670 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4671 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4672 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files.
4673 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4674 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4675 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4678 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4679 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4680 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4681 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4683 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4687 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4689 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4690 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4691 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4692 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4696 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4699 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4700 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4703 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4704 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4705 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4711 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4712 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4715 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4716 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4718 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4719 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4720 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4721 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4723 Here are the elements you can play with:
4729 Unprefixed group name.
4731 Current article number.
4733 Current article score.
4737 Number of unread articles in this group.
4739 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4742 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4743 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4744 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4745 and no unselected ones.
4747 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4748 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4750 Subject of the current article.
4752 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4754 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4756 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4758 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4760 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4762 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4766 @node Summary Highlighting
4767 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4771 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4772 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4773 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4774 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4775 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4777 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4778 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4779 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4780 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4782 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4783 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4784 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4785 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4787 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4788 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4789 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4790 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4791 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4792 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4795 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4796 ((> score default) . bold))
4798 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4799 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4803 @node Summary Maneuvering
4804 @section Summary Maneuvering
4805 @cindex summary movement
4807 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4808 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4810 None of these commands select articles.
4815 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4816 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4817 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4818 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4819 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4823 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4824 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4825 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4826 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4827 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4830 @kindex G g (Summary)
4831 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4832 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4833 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4836 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4837 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4838 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4839 to the group buffer.
4841 Variables related to summary movement:
4845 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4846 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4847 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4848 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4849 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4850 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4851 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4852 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4853 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4854 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4855 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4856 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4857 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4858 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4860 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4861 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4862 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4863 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4864 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4865 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4866 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4868 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4870 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4871 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4872 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4873 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4874 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4876 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4877 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4878 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4879 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4880 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4881 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4882 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4883 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4886 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4887 the given number of lines from the top.
4892 @node Choosing Articles
4893 @section Choosing Articles
4894 @cindex selecting articles
4897 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4898 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4902 @node Choosing Commands
4903 @subsection Choosing Commands
4905 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4906 and they all select and display an article.
4908 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4909 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4913 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4914 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4915 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4916 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4918 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
4919 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
4920 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @pxref{Paging the Article}.
4925 @kindex G n (Summary)
4926 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4927 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4928 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4933 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4934 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4935 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4940 @kindex G N (Summary)
4941 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4942 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4947 @kindex G P (Summary)
4948 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4949 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4952 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4953 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4954 Go to the next article with the same subject
4955 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4958 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4959 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4960 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4961 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4965 @kindex G f (Summary)
4967 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4968 Go to the first unread article
4969 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4973 @kindex G b (Summary)
4975 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4976 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4977 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4978 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4983 @kindex G l (Summary)
4984 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4985 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4988 @kindex G o (Summary)
4989 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4991 @cindex article history
4992 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4993 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4994 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4995 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4996 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4997 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5002 @kindex G j (Summary)
5003 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5004 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5005 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5010 @node Choosing Variables
5011 @subsection Choosing Variables
5013 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5016 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5017 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5018 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5019 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5020 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5021 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5023 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5024 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5025 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5026 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5027 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5028 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5030 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5031 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5032 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5033 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5034 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5035 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5036 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5037 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5038 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5039 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5040 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5041 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5042 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5043 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5048 @node Paging the Article
5049 @section Scrolling the Article
5050 @cindex article scrolling
5055 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5056 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5057 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5058 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5059 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5061 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5062 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5063 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5064 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5065 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5066 what is considered uninteresting with
5067 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5068 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5071 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5072 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5073 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5076 @kindex RET (Summary)
5077 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5078 Scroll the current article one line forward
5079 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5082 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5083 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5084 Scroll the current article one line backward
5085 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5089 @kindex A g (Summary)
5091 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5092 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5093 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5094 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5095 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5096 the way it came from the server.
5098 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5099 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5100 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5103 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5108 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5113 @kindex A < (Summary)
5114 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5115 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5116 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5121 @kindex A > (Summary)
5122 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5123 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5127 @kindex A s (Summary)
5129 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5130 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5131 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5135 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5136 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5141 @node Reply Followup and Post
5142 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5145 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5146 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5147 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5148 * Canceling and Superseding::
5152 @node Summary Mail Commands
5153 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5155 @cindex composing mail
5157 Commands for composing a mail message:
5163 @kindex S r (Summary)
5165 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5166 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5167 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5168 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5169 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5174 @kindex S R (Summary)
5175 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5176 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5177 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5178 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5179 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5182 @kindex S w (Summary)
5183 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5184 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5185 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5186 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5187 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5190 @kindex S W (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5192 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5193 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5194 the process/prefix convention.
5197 @kindex S v (Summary)
5198 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5199 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5200 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5201 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5202 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5203 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5206 @kindex S V (Summary)
5207 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5208 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5209 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5210 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5213 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5214 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5215 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5216 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5219 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5220 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5221 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5222 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5223 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5227 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5228 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5229 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5230 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5231 Forward the current article to some other person
5232 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5233 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5234 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5235 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5236 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5237 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5238 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5239 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5240 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime}
5246 @kindex S m (Summary)
5247 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5248 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5249 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5250 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5251 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5256 @kindex S i (Summary)
5257 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5258 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5259 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5260 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5262 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5263 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5264 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5265 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5266 for this to work though.
5269 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5270 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5271 @cindex bouncing mail
5272 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5273 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5274 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5275 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5276 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5277 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5278 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5279 very well fail, though.
5282 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5283 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5284 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5285 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5286 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5287 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5288 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5289 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5290 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5291 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5293 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5294 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5295 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5296 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5297 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5299 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5300 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5303 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5304 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5305 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5306 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5307 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5310 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5311 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5312 @cindex crossposting
5313 @cindex excessive crossposting
5314 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5315 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5317 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5318 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5319 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5320 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5321 command understands the process/prefix convention
5322 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5326 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5327 Manual}, for more information.
5330 @node Summary Post Commands
5331 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5333 @cindex composing news
5335 Commands for posting a news article:
5341 @kindex S p (Summary)
5342 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5343 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5344 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5345 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5346 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5351 @kindex S f (Summary)
5352 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5353 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5354 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5358 @kindex S F (Summary)
5360 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5361 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5362 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5363 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5364 process/prefix convention.
5367 @kindex S n (Summary)
5368 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5369 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5370 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5373 @kindex S N (Summary)
5374 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5375 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5376 message through mail and include the original message
5377 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5378 the process/prefix convention.
5381 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5382 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5383 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5384 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5385 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5386 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5387 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5388 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5389 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5390 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5391 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5392 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5393 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section.
5396 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5397 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5399 @cindex making digests
5400 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5401 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5402 process/prefix convention.
5405 @kindex S u (Summary)
5406 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5407 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5408 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5409 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5412 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5413 Manual}, for more information.
5416 @node Summary Message Commands
5417 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5421 @kindex S y (Summary)
5422 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5423 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5424 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5425 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5426 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5431 @node Canceling and Superseding
5432 @subsection Canceling Articles
5433 @cindex canceling articles
5434 @cindex superseding articles
5436 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5437 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5439 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5441 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5443 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5444 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5445 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5446 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5447 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5448 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5450 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5451 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5454 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5455 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5456 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5458 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5459 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5460 your original article.
5462 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5464 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5465 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5466 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5469 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5470 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5471 have posted almost the same article twice.
5473 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5474 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5475 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5476 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5477 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5478 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5479 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5480 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5481 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5482 canceled/superseded.
5484 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5486 @node Delayed Articles
5487 @section Delayed Articles
5488 @cindex delayed sending
5489 @cindex send delayed
5491 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5492 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5493 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5494 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5497 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5500 @findex gnus-delay-article
5501 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5502 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5503 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5504 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5508 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5509 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5510 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5511 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5514 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5515 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5516 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5519 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5520 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5521 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5522 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5523 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5524 that means a time tomorrow.
5527 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5528 couple of variables:
5531 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5532 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5533 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5534 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5536 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5537 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5538 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5539 formats described above.
5541 @item gnus-delay-group
5542 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5543 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5544 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5545 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5547 @item gnus-delay-header
5548 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5549 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5550 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5551 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5554 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5555 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5556 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5557 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5558 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5560 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5561 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5562 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5563 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5564 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5565 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5566 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5569 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5570 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5571 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5572 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5573 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5574 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5575 argument is ignored.
5577 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5578 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5579 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5583 @node Marking Articles
5584 @section Marking Articles
5585 @cindex article marking
5586 @cindex article ticking
5589 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5591 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5592 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5593 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5595 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5598 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5599 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5600 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5604 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5608 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5609 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5610 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5614 @node Unread Articles
5615 @subsection Unread Articles
5617 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5622 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5623 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5625 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5626 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5627 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5628 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5629 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5630 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5631 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5634 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5635 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5637 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5638 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5639 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5640 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5644 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5645 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5647 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5652 @subsection Read Articles
5653 @cindex expirable mark
5655 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5660 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5661 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5662 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5665 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5666 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5669 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5670 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5671 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5674 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5675 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5678 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5679 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5682 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5683 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5686 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5687 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5690 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5691 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5694 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5695 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5698 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5699 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5703 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5704 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5705 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5709 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5710 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5712 One more special mark, though:
5716 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5717 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5719 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5720 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5721 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5722 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5728 @subsection Other Marks
5729 @cindex process mark
5732 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5738 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5739 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5740 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5741 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5742 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5745 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5746 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5747 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5748 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5751 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5752 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5753 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5756 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5757 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5758 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5761 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5762 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5763 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5764 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5767 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5768 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5769 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5770 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5771 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5772 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5775 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5776 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5777 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5778 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5781 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5782 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, articles may be
5783 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5784 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5785 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5789 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5790 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might
5791 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5792 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5793 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5794 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5797 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5798 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5799 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5800 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5801 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5802 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5806 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5807 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5808 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5809 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5810 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5813 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5814 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5815 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5816 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5817 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5818 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5822 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5823 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5824 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5826 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5827 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5828 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5832 @subsection Setting Marks
5833 @cindex setting marks
5835 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5840 @kindex M c (Summary)
5841 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5842 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5843 @cindex mark as unread
5844 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5845 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5851 @kindex M t (Summary)
5852 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5853 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5854 @xref{Article Caching}.
5859 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5860 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5861 Mark the current article as dormant
5862 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5866 @kindex M d (Summary)
5868 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5869 Mark the current article as read
5870 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5874 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5875 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5876 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5881 @kindex M k (Summary)
5882 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5883 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5884 and then select the next unread article
5885 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5889 @kindex M K (Summary)
5890 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5891 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5892 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5893 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5896 @kindex M C (Summary)
5897 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5898 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5899 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5902 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5903 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5904 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5905 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5908 @kindex M H (Summary)
5909 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5910 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5911 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5914 @kindex M h (Summary)
5915 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5916 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5917 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5920 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5921 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5922 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5923 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5926 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5927 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5928 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5929 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5933 @kindex M e (Summary)
5935 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5936 Mark the current article as expirable
5937 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5940 @kindex M b (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5942 Set a bookmark in the current article
5943 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5946 @kindex M B (Summary)
5947 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5948 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5949 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5952 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5953 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5954 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5955 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5958 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5959 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5960 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5961 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5964 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5965 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5966 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5967 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5968 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5971 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5972 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5973 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5974 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5975 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5976 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5977 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5978 The default is @code{t}.
5981 @node Generic Marking Commands
5982 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5984 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5985 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5986 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5987 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5988 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5991 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5992 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5995 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5996 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5997 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5998 to list in this manual.
6000 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6001 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6002 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6003 article, you could say something like:
6006 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6007 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6008 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6014 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6015 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6019 @node Setting Process Marks
6020 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6021 @cindex setting process marks
6023 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6024 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6025 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6026 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6027 commands into the cache. For more information,
6028 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6035 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6036 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6037 Mark the current article with the process mark
6038 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6039 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6043 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6044 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6045 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6046 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6049 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6050 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6051 Remove the process mark from all articles
6052 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6055 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6056 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6057 Invert the list of process marked articles
6058 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6061 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6062 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6063 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6064 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6067 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6068 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6069 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6070 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6073 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6074 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6075 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6079 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6080 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6083 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6084 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6085 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6086 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6089 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6090 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6091 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6092 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6095 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6096 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6097 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6098 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6101 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6102 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6103 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6106 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6107 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6108 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6109 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6112 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6113 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6114 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6117 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6118 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6119 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6120 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6123 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6124 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6125 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6126 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6129 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6130 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6131 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6132 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6135 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6136 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6137 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6138 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6142 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6143 set process marks based on article body contents.
6150 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6151 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6152 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6155 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6156 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6157 additional articles.
6163 @kindex / / (Summary)
6164 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6165 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6166 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6170 @kindex / a (Summary)
6171 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6172 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6173 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6177 @kindex / x (Summary)
6178 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6179 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6180 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6181 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6186 @kindex / u (Summary)
6188 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6189 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6190 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6191 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6192 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6195 @kindex / m (Summary)
6196 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6197 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6198 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6201 @kindex / t (Summary)
6202 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6203 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6204 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6205 articles younger than that number of days.
6208 @kindex / n (Summary)
6209 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6210 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6211 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6212 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6215 @kindex / w (Summary)
6216 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6217 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6218 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6222 @kindex / . (Summary)
6223 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6224 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6225 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6228 @kindex / v (Summary)
6229 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6230 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6231 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6234 @kindex / p (Summary)
6235 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6236 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6237 group parameter predicate
6238 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6239 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6243 @kindex M S (Summary)
6244 @kindex / E (Summary)
6245 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6246 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6247 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6250 @kindex / D (Summary)
6251 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6252 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6253 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6256 @kindex / * (Summary)
6257 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6258 Include all cached articles in the limit
6259 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6262 @kindex / d (Summary)
6263 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6264 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6265 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6268 @kindex / M (Summary)
6269 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6270 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6273 @kindex / T (Summary)
6274 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6275 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6278 @kindex / c (Summary)
6279 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6280 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6281 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6284 @kindex / C (Summary)
6285 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6286 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6287 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6288 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6291 @kindex / N (Summary)
6292 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6293 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6294 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6297 @kindex / o (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6299 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6300 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6308 @cindex article threading
6310 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6311 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6312 hierarchical fashion.
6314 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6315 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6316 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6317 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6318 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6319 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6320 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6322 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6326 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6329 A tree-like article structure.
6332 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6335 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6336 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6337 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6338 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6339 called loose threads.
6341 @item thread gathering
6342 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6344 @item sparse threads
6345 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6346 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6352 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6353 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6357 @node Customizing Threading
6358 @subsection Customizing Threading
6359 @cindex customizing threading
6362 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6363 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6364 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6365 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6370 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6373 @cindex loose threads
6376 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6377 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6378 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6379 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6380 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6381 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6383 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6384 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6385 There are four possible values:
6389 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6390 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6391 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6392 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6393 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6398 @cindex adopting articles
6403 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6404 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6405 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6406 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6409 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6410 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6411 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6412 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6413 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6414 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6415 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6416 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6417 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6418 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6421 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6422 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6423 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6427 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6428 display them after one another.
6431 Don't gather loose threads.
6434 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6435 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6436 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6437 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6438 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6439 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6440 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6441 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6442 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6443 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6444 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6446 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6447 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6448 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6451 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6452 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6453 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6454 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6455 simplification is used.
6457 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6458 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6459 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6460 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6462 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6464 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6470 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6471 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6472 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6473 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6478 (mapconcat 'identity
6479 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6481 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6484 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6487 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6488 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6489 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6490 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6491 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6492 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6494 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6497 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6498 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6499 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6501 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6502 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6505 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6506 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6507 Remove excessive whitespace.
6509 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6510 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6511 Remove all whitespace.
6514 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6517 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6518 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6519 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6520 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6521 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6522 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6523 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6524 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6526 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6527 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6528 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6529 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6530 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6531 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6532 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6533 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6534 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6538 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6539 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6540 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6541 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6543 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6544 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6545 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6548 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6552 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6553 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6559 @node Filling In Threads
6560 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6563 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6564 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6565 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6566 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6567 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6568 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6569 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6570 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6571 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6572 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6573 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6574 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6577 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6578 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6579 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6581 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6582 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6583 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6584 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6585 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6586 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6587 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6588 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6589 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6590 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6591 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6592 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6593 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6594 @code{nil} by default.
6596 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6597 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6598 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6599 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6600 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6601 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6602 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6604 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6605 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6606 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6611 @node More Threading
6612 @subsubsection More Threading
6615 @item gnus-show-threads
6616 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6617 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6618 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6619 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6620 slower and more awkward.
6622 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6623 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6624 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6627 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6628 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6629 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6634 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6635 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6636 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6639 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6640 unread, but you get my drift.)
6643 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6644 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6645 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6646 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6647 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6648 threads are expunged.
6650 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6651 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6652 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6655 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6656 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6657 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6658 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6659 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6660 result in a new thread.
6662 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6663 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6664 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6667 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6668 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6669 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6670 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6671 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6672 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6673 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6674 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6675 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6676 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6677 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6682 @node Low-Level Threading
6683 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6687 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6688 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6689 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6691 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6692 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6693 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6694 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6695 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6696 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6697 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6698 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6699 meaningful. Here's one example:
6702 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6704 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6705 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6707 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6709 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6716 @node Thread Commands
6717 @subsection Thread Commands
6718 @cindex thread commands
6724 @kindex T k (Summary)
6725 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6726 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6727 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6728 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6729 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6734 @kindex T l (Summary)
6735 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6736 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6737 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6738 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6741 @kindex T i (Summary)
6742 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6743 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6744 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6747 @kindex T # (Summary)
6748 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6749 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6750 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6753 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6754 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6755 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6756 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6759 @kindex T T (Summary)
6760 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6761 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6764 @kindex T s (Summary)
6765 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6766 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6767 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6770 @kindex T h (Summary)
6771 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6772 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6775 @kindex T S (Summary)
6776 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6777 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6780 @kindex T H (Summary)
6781 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6782 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6785 @kindex T t (Summary)
6786 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6787 Re-thread the current article's thread
6788 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6789 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6792 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6793 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6794 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6795 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6799 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6800 understand the numeric prefix.
6805 @kindex T n (Summary)
6807 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6809 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6810 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6811 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6814 @kindex T p (Summary)
6816 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6818 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6819 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6820 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6823 @kindex T d (Summary)
6824 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6825 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6828 @kindex T u (Summary)
6829 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6830 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6833 @kindex T o (Summary)
6834 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6835 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6838 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6839 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6840 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6841 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6842 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6843 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6844 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6845 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6846 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6847 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6848 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6849 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6853 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6854 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6856 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6857 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6858 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6859 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6860 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6861 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6862 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6863 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6864 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6865 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6866 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6867 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6868 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6870 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6871 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6872 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6873 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6874 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6875 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6876 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6877 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6879 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6880 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6881 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6883 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6884 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6885 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6886 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6887 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6888 ascending article order.
6890 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6891 by number, you could do something like:
6894 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6895 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6896 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6897 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6900 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6901 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6902 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6903 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6904 which the articles arrived.
6906 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6910 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6912 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6913 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6916 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6917 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6918 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6919 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6922 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6923 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6924 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6925 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6926 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6927 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6928 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6929 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6930 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6931 variable. It is very similar to the
6932 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6933 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6934 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6935 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6936 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6937 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6938 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6940 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6944 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6945 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6946 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6951 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6952 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6953 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6954 @cindex article pre-fetch
6957 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6958 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6959 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6960 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6961 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6963 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6964 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6966 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6967 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6968 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6969 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6970 connection is blocked.
6972 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6973 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6974 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6975 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6977 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6978 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6979 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6980 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6983 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
6986 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6987 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6988 happen automatically.
6990 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6991 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6992 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6993 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6994 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6995 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6996 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6998 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6999 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7000 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7001 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7002 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7003 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7004 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7005 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7006 article data structure as the only parameter.
7008 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7009 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7012 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7013 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7014 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7015 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7018 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7021 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7022 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7023 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7025 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7026 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7027 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7028 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7032 Remove articles when they are read.
7035 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7038 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7040 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7041 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7042 @c from the next group.
7045 @node Article Caching
7046 @section Article Caching
7047 @cindex article caching
7050 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
7051 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7052 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7053 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7054 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7056 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7058 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7059 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7060 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7061 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7062 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7063 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7064 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7065 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7067 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7068 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7069 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7070 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7071 as dormant, and don't worry.
7073 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7075 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7076 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7077 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7078 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7079 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7080 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7081 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7082 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7083 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7084 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7086 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7087 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7088 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7089 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7090 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7091 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
7092 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7093 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7094 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7095 not then be downloaded by this command.
7097 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7098 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7099 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7100 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7101 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7102 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7104 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7105 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7106 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7107 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7108 variables, the group is not cached.
7110 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7111 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7112 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7113 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7114 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7115 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7116 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7117 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7118 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7121 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7122 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7123 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7124 where, isn't that cool?
7126 @node Persistent Articles
7127 @section Persistent Articles
7128 @cindex persistent articles
7130 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7131 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7132 useful in my opinion.
7134 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7135 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7136 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7137 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7138 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7139 the expiry going on at the news server.
7141 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7142 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7143 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7149 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7150 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7153 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7154 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7155 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7156 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7160 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7162 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7163 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7164 interested in persistent articles:
7167 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7171 @node Article Backlog
7172 @section Article Backlog
7174 @cindex article backlog
7176 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7177 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7178 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7179 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7180 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7181 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7182 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7183 increase memory usage some.
7185 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7186 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7187 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7188 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7189 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7190 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7191 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7193 The default value is 20.
7196 @node Saving Articles
7197 @section Saving Articles
7198 @cindex saving articles
7200 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7201 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7202 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7203 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7204 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7206 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7207 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7208 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7210 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7211 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7212 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7214 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7215 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7216 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7217 deleted before saving.
7223 @kindex O o (Summary)
7225 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7226 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7227 Save the current article using the default article saver
7228 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7231 @kindex O m (Summary)
7232 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7233 Save the current article in mail format
7234 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7237 @kindex O r (Summary)
7238 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7239 Save the current article in rmail format
7240 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7243 @kindex O f (Summary)
7244 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7245 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7246 Save the current article in plain file format
7247 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7250 @kindex O F (Summary)
7251 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7252 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7253 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7256 @kindex O b (Summary)
7257 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7258 Save the current article body in plain file format
7259 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7262 @kindex O h (Summary)
7263 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7264 Save the current article in mh folder format
7265 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7268 @kindex O v (Summary)
7269 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7270 Save the current article in a VM folder
7271 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7275 @kindex O p (Summary)
7277 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7278 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7279 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7280 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7281 complete headers in the piped output.
7284 @kindex O P (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7286 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7287 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7288 external program Muttprint (see
7289 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7290 options to use is controlled by the variable
7291 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7295 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7296 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7297 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7298 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7299 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7300 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7301 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7302 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7303 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7304 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7305 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7306 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7310 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7311 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7312 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7313 functions below, or you can create your own.
7317 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7318 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7319 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7320 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7321 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7322 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7323 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7325 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7326 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7327 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7328 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7329 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7330 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7332 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7333 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7334 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7335 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7336 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7337 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7338 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7340 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7341 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7342 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7343 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7344 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7345 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7347 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7348 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7349 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7350 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7351 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7353 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7354 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7355 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7356 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7357 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7360 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7361 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7362 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7363 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7364 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7366 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7367 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7368 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7369 reader to use this setting.
7372 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7373 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7374 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7375 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7378 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7379 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7380 available functions that generate names:
7384 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7385 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7386 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7388 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7389 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7390 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7392 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7393 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7394 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7396 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7397 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7398 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7400 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7401 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7402 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7405 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7406 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7407 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7408 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7409 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7413 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7414 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7415 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7416 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7419 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7420 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7421 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7422 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7423 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7424 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7425 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7426 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7427 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7429 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7430 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7431 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7432 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7434 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7435 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7436 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7439 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7440 lots of mail groups called things like
7441 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7442 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7443 following will do just that:
7446 (defun my-save-name (group)
7447 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7448 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7450 (setq gnus-split-methods
7451 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7456 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7457 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7458 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7459 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7460 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7461 all the files in the top level directory
7462 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7463 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7464 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7465 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7467 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7468 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7469 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7470 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7471 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7474 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7478 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7479 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7480 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7483 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7484 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7485 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7486 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7489 @node Decoding Articles
7490 @section Decoding Articles
7491 @cindex decoding articles
7493 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7494 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7497 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7498 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7499 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7500 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7501 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7502 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7506 @cindex article series
7507 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7508 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7509 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7510 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7511 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7513 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7514 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7515 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7517 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7518 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7519 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7521 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7522 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7523 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7526 @node Uuencoded Articles
7527 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7529 @cindex uuencoded articles
7534 @kindex X u (Summary)
7535 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7536 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7537 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7540 @kindex X U (Summary)
7541 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7542 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7543 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7546 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7547 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7548 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7551 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7552 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7553 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7554 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7558 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7559 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7560 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7561 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7562 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7564 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7565 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7566 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7567 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7570 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7571 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7572 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7573 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7574 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7575 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7579 @node Shell Archives
7580 @subsection Shell Archives
7582 @cindex shell archives
7583 @cindex shared articles
7585 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7586 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7587 some commands to deal with these:
7592 @kindex X s (Summary)
7593 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7594 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7597 @kindex X S (Summary)
7598 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7599 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7602 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7603 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7604 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7607 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7608 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7609 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7610 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7614 @node PostScript Files
7615 @subsection PostScript Files
7621 @kindex X p (Summary)
7622 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7623 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7626 @kindex X P (Summary)
7627 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7628 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7629 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7632 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7633 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7634 View the current PostScript series
7635 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7638 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7639 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7640 View and save the current PostScript series
7641 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7646 @subsection Other Files
7650 @kindex X o (Summary)
7651 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7652 Save the current series
7653 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7656 @kindex X b (Summary)
7657 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7658 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7659 doesn't really work yet.
7663 @node Decoding Variables
7664 @subsection Decoding Variables
7666 Adjective, not verb.
7669 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7670 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7671 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7675 @node Rule Variables
7676 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7677 @cindex rule variables
7679 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7680 variables are of the form
7683 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7690 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7691 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7693 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7694 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7697 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7698 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7701 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7702 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7703 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7704 user and default view rules.
7706 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7707 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7708 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7713 @node Other Decode Variables
7714 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7717 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7719 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7720 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7721 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7722 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7723 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7727 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7728 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7731 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7732 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7733 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7736 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7737 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7738 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7739 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7740 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7743 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7744 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7745 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7747 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7748 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7749 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7750 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7751 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7754 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7755 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7756 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7758 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7759 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7760 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7761 looking for files to display.
7763 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7764 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7765 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7768 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7769 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7770 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7773 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7774 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7775 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7778 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7779 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7780 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7783 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7784 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7785 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7786 decoded articles as unread.
7788 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7789 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7790 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7791 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7793 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7794 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7795 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7797 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7798 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7800 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7801 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7802 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7803 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7805 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7806 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7807 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7808 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7809 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7810 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7811 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7812 simply dropped them.
7817 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7818 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7822 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7823 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7824 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7825 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7826 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7827 for you when you post the article.
7829 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7830 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7831 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7832 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7834 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7835 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7836 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7837 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7838 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7839 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7840 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7842 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7843 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7844 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7845 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7846 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7847 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7848 Default is @code{t}.
7854 @subsection Viewing Files
7855 @cindex viewing files
7856 @cindex pseudo-articles
7858 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7859 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7860 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7861 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7862 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7863 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7864 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7866 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7867 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7868 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7869 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7871 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7872 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7873 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7875 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7876 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7877 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7878 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7879 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7881 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7882 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7883 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7884 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7885 a list of parameters to that command.
7887 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7888 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7889 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7891 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7892 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7893 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7896 @node Article Treatment
7897 @section Article Treatment
7899 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7900 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7901 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7902 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7903 these articles easier.
7906 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7907 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7908 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7909 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7910 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7911 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7912 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7913 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7914 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7915 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7919 @node Article Highlighting
7920 @subsection Article Highlighting
7921 @cindex highlighting
7923 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7924 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7929 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7930 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7931 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7932 Do much highlighting of the current article
7933 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7934 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7937 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7938 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7939 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7940 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7941 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7942 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7943 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7944 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7945 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7946 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7947 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7948 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7951 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7952 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7953 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7955 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7958 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7960 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7961 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7962 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7964 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7965 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7966 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7968 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7969 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7970 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7971 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7972 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7973 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7975 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7976 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7977 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7979 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7980 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7981 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7983 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7984 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7985 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7986 that it's a citation.
7988 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7989 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7990 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7992 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7993 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7994 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7996 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7997 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7998 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7999 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8005 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8006 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8007 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8008 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8009 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8010 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8011 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8012 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8017 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8020 @node Article Fontisizing
8021 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8023 @cindex article emphasis
8025 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8026 @kindex W e (Summary)
8027 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8028 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8029 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8030 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8032 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8033 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8034 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8035 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8036 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8037 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8038 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8039 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8043 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8044 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8045 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8054 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8055 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8056 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8057 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8058 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8059 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8060 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8061 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8062 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8063 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8064 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8065 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8066 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8068 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8069 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8070 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8074 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8077 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8079 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8080 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8081 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8082 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8084 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8087 @node Article Hiding
8088 @subsection Article Hiding
8089 @cindex article hiding
8091 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8092 too much cruft in most articles.
8097 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8098 @findex gnus-article-hide
8099 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8100 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8101 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
8104 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8105 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8106 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8110 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8111 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8112 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8113 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8116 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8117 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8118 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8122 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8123 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8124 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8125 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8126 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8127 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8128 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8129 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8133 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8134 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8135 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8136 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8141 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8142 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8143 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8144 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8147 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8148 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8149 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8150 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8153 @cindex stripping advertisements
8154 @cindex advertisements
8155 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8156 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8157 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8158 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8159 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8160 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8161 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8162 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8163 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8164 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8167 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8168 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8169 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8173 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8174 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8175 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8176 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8177 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8178 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8179 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8180 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8181 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8182 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8183 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8186 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8192 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8193 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8194 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8195 customizing the hiding:
8199 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8200 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8201 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8202 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8203 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8204 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8205 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8210 Starting point of the hidden text.
8212 Ending point of the hidden text.
8214 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8216 Number of lines of hidden text.
8219 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8220 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8221 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8222 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8223 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8228 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8229 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8231 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8232 following two variables:
8235 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8236 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8237 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8238 50), hide the cited text.
8240 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8241 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8242 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8247 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8248 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8249 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8250 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8251 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8252 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8256 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8257 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8258 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8260 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8261 citation customization.
8263 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8267 @node Article Washing
8268 @subsection Article Washing
8270 @cindex article washing
8272 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8273 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8275 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8276 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8279 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8280 articles by default.
8285 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8286 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8290 Force redisplaying of the current article
8291 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8292 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8293 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8294 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8297 @kindex W l (Summary)
8298 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8299 Remove page breaks from the current article
8300 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8304 @kindex W r (Summary)
8305 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8306 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8307 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8308 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8309 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8310 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8312 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8313 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8314 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8315 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8318 @kindex W m (Summary)
8319 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8320 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8324 @kindex W t (Summary)
8326 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8327 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8328 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8331 @kindex W v (Summary)
8332 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8333 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8334 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8337 @kindex W o (Summary)
8338 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8339 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8342 @kindex W d (Summary)
8343 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8344 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8346 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8348 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8349 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8350 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8351 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8354 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8355 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8356 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8357 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8360 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8361 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8362 @cindex Outlook Express
8363 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8364 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8365 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8368 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8369 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8370 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8371 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8372 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8373 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8374 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8375 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the miminum and
8376 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8377 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8380 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8381 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8382 Repair a broken attribution line.
8383 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8386 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8387 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8388 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8389 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8392 @kindex W w (Summary)
8393 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8394 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8396 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8400 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8401 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8402 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8405 @kindex W C (Summary)
8406 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8407 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8408 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8411 @kindex W c (Summary)
8412 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8413 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8414 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8415 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8416 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8419 @kindex W q (Summary)
8420 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8421 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8422 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8423 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8424 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8425 readable to me. Note that this is usually done automatically by
8426 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8427 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8428 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8431 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8432 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8433 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8434 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8435 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8436 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8437 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8439 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8442 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8443 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8444 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8445 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8446 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8449 @kindex W u (Summary)
8450 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8451 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8452 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8453 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8454 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8457 @kindex W h (Summary)
8458 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8459 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8460 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8461 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8463 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8465 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8466 The default is to use the function specified by
8467 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{(emacs-mime)Display
8468 Customization}) to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by
8469 the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions
8470 you can use include:
8477 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8481 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8484 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8487 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8492 @kindex W b (Summary)
8493 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8494 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8495 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8498 @kindex W B (Summary)
8499 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8500 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8501 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8504 @kindex W p (Summary)
8505 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8506 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8507 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8508 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8509 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8510 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8511 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8514 @kindex W s (Summary)
8515 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8516 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8517 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8520 @kindex W a (Summary)
8521 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8522 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8523 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8526 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8527 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8528 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8529 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8532 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8533 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8534 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8535 lines with a single empty line.
8536 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8539 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8540 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8541 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8542 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8545 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8546 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8547 Do all the three commands above
8548 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8551 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8552 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8553 Remove all blank lines
8554 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8557 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8558 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8559 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8560 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8563 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8564 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8565 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8566 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8570 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8573 @node Article Header
8574 @subsection Article Header
8576 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8581 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8582 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8583 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8586 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8587 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8588 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8589 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8592 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8593 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8594 Fold all the message headers
8595 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8599 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8600 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8601 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8606 @node Article Buttons
8607 @subsection Article Buttons
8610 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8611 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8612 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8613 button on these references.
8615 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8616 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8617 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8618 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8619 one that handles article heads:
8623 @item gnus-button-alist
8624 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8625 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8628 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8634 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8635 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8636 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8637 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8638 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8641 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8642 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8643 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8646 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8647 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8648 avoid false matches.
8651 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8654 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8655 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8659 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8662 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8665 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8666 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8667 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8668 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8669 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8672 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8675 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8677 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8678 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8679 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8680 default values of the variables above.
8682 @item gnus-article-button-face
8683 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8684 Face used on buttons.
8686 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8687 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8688 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8692 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8696 @subsection Article Date
8698 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8699 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8700 when the article was sent.
8705 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8706 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8707 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8708 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8711 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8712 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8714 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8715 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8718 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8719 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8720 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8723 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8724 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8725 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8726 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8729 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8730 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8731 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8732 @findex format-time-string
8733 Display the date using a user-defined format
8734 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8735 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8736 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8737 for a list of possible format specs.
8740 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8741 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8742 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8743 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8744 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8745 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8748 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8751 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
8752 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8753 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8756 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8757 into wonderful absurdities.
8759 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8762 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8765 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8766 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8770 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8771 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8772 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8773 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8774 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8775 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8776 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8780 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8781 preferred format automatically.
8784 @node Article Display
8785 @subsection Article Display
8790 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8791 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8793 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8794 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8796 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8797 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8799 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8800 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8802 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8807 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8808 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8809 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8810 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8813 @kindex W D d (Summary)
8814 @findex gnus-article-display-face
8815 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
8816 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
8819 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8820 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8821 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8824 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8825 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8826 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8829 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8830 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8831 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8832 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8835 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8836 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8837 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8838 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8841 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8842 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8843 Remove all images from the article buffer
8844 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8850 @node Article Signature
8851 @subsection Article Signature
8853 @cindex article signature
8855 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8856 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8857 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8858 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8859 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8860 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8861 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8862 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8863 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8866 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8867 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8868 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8869 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8870 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8871 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8872 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8873 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8876 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8879 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8880 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8881 signature when displaying articles.
8885 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8888 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8891 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8892 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8894 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8895 in question is not a signature.
8898 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8899 listed above. Here's an example:
8902 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8903 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8906 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8907 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8908 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8909 signature after all.
8912 @node Article Miscellania
8913 @subsection Article Miscellania
8917 @kindex A t (Summary)
8918 @findex gnus-article-babel
8919 Translate the article from one language to another
8920 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8926 @section MIME Commands
8927 @cindex MIME decoding
8929 @cindex viewing attachments
8931 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8932 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8938 @kindex K v (Summary)
8939 View the @sc{mime} part.
8942 @kindex K o (Summary)
8943 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8946 @kindex K c (Summary)
8947 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8950 @kindex K e (Summary)
8951 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8954 @kindex K i (Summary)
8955 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8958 @kindex K | (Summary)
8959 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8962 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8967 @kindex K b (Summary)
8968 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8969 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8973 @kindex K m (Summary)
8974 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8975 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8976 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8977 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8978 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8981 @kindex X m (Summary)
8982 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8983 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8984 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8985 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8988 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8989 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8990 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8991 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8994 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8995 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8996 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8997 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9000 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9001 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9002 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9003 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9005 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9006 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9007 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9008 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9009 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9010 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9013 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9014 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9015 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
9016 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9023 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9024 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9025 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9026 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9029 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9032 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9036 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9037 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9038 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't required the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9039 before interpreting the message as a @sc{mime} message. This helps
9040 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9041 default is @code{nil}.
9043 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9044 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9045 There are other, non-@sc{mime} encoding methods used. The most common
9046 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9047 This variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9048 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9049 Gnus @sc{mime} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9051 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9052 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9053 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9054 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9055 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9056 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9057 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9058 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is nil.
9060 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9061 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9062 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9063 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9064 displayed. This variable overrides
9065 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9066 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9069 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9070 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9071 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9073 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9074 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9075 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
9076 value is @code{nil}.
9078 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9079 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9080 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
9081 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9082 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9083 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9084 save all jpegs into some directory).
9086 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9089 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9090 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9092 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9093 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9094 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9095 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9096 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9099 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9100 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9101 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9103 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9104 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9105 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
9106 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9108 Ready-made functions include@*
9109 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9110 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9111 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9112 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9113 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9114 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9115 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9116 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9117 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9118 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9119 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9120 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9122 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9123 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9125 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9126 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9127 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9130 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9131 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9132 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9133 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9137 to your @file{.gnus.el} file.
9146 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
9147 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9148 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
9149 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9150 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9151 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9152 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9154 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9155 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9156 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9157 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9159 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9160 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9161 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9162 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9163 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9164 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9165 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9166 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9167 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9169 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9170 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9171 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9172 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9173 quoted-printable header encoding.
9175 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9176 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9177 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9181 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9184 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9185 means encode all charsets),
9187 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9188 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9189 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9196 @cindex coding system aliases
9197 @cindex preferred charset
9199 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9201 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9202 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9205 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9206 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9209 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9210 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9212 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9215 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9218 This will almost do the right thing.
9220 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9224 (codepage-setup 1251)
9225 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9229 @node Article Commands
9230 @section Article Commands
9237 @kindex A P (Summary)
9238 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9239 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9240 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9241 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9242 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9243 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9248 @node Summary Sorting
9249 @section Summary Sorting
9250 @cindex summary sorting
9252 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9253 can't really see why you'd want that.
9258 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9259 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9260 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9263 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9264 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9265 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9268 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9269 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9270 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9273 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9274 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9275 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9278 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9279 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9280 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9283 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9284 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9285 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9288 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9289 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9290 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9293 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9294 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9295 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9298 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9299 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9300 Sort using the default sorting method
9301 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9304 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9305 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9306 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9307 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9308 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9312 @node Finding the Parent
9313 @section Finding the Parent
9314 @cindex parent articles
9315 @cindex referring articles
9320 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9321 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9322 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9323 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9324 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9325 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9326 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9327 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9328 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9330 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9331 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9332 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9333 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9334 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9338 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9339 @kindex A R (Summary)
9340 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9341 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9344 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9345 @kindex A T (Summary)
9346 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9347 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9348 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9349 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9350 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9351 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9352 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9354 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9355 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9356 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9357 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9358 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9359 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9362 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9363 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9365 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9366 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9367 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9368 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9369 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9370 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9371 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9374 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9375 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9376 by giving this command a prefix.
9378 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9379 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9380 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9381 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9382 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9383 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9386 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9387 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9388 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9391 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9392 then ask Google if that fails:
9395 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9397 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9400 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9401 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9402 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9403 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9404 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9405 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9406 support this at all.
9409 @node Alternative Approaches
9410 @section Alternative Approaches
9412 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9413 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9416 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9417 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9422 @subsection Pick and Read
9423 @cindex pick and read
9425 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9426 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9427 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9428 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9430 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9431 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9432 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9433 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9434 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9435 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9437 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9442 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9443 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9444 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9445 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9446 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9447 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9448 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9449 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9452 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9453 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9454 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9455 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9459 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9460 Unpick the thread or article
9461 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9462 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9463 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9464 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9465 the thread or article at that line.
9469 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9470 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9471 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9472 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9473 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9474 will still be visible when you are reading.
9478 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9479 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9480 which is mapped to the same function
9481 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9483 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9486 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9489 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9490 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9492 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9493 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9494 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9496 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9497 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9498 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9499 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9500 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9501 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9502 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9506 @subsection Binary Groups
9507 @cindex binary groups
9509 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9510 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9511 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9512 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9513 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9514 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9515 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9518 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9519 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9520 command, when you have turned on this mode
9521 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9523 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9524 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9528 @section Tree Display
9531 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9532 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9533 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9534 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9537 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9540 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9541 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9542 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9544 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9545 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9546 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9547 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9548 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9550 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9551 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9552 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9553 default is @code{modeline}.
9555 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9556 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9557 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9558 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9559 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9560 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9561 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9567 The name of the poster.
9569 The @code{From} header.
9571 The number of the article.
9573 The opening bracket.
9575 The closing bracket.
9580 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9582 Variables related to the display are:
9585 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9586 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9587 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9588 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9589 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9590 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9592 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9593 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9594 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9595 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9599 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9600 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9601 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9602 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9603 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9604 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9605 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9606 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9607 other windows displayed next to it.
9609 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9613 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9614 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9617 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9618 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9619 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9620 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9621 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9622 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9623 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9627 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9630 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9640 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9644 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9645 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9647 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9649 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9654 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9655 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9656 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9659 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9660 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9661 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9662 (gnus-add-configuration
9666 (summary 0.75 point)
9671 @xref{Window Layout}.
9674 @node Mail Group Commands
9675 @section Mail Group Commands
9676 @cindex mail group commands
9678 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9679 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9681 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9682 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9687 @kindex B e (Summary)
9688 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9689 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9690 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9691 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9692 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9695 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9696 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9697 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9698 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9699 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9700 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9703 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9704 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9705 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9706 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9707 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9708 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9711 @kindex B m (Summary)
9713 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9714 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9715 Move the article from one mail group to another
9716 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9717 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9720 @kindex B c (Summary)
9722 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9723 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9724 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9725 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9726 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9729 @kindex B B (Summary)
9730 @cindex crosspost mail
9731 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9732 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9733 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9734 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9735 be properly updated.
9738 @kindex B i (Summary)
9739 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9740 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9741 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9742 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9745 @kindex B I (Summary)
9746 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9747 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9748 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9749 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9752 @kindex B r (Summary)
9753 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9754 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
9755 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9756 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9757 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9758 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9759 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9760 (which is the default).
9764 @kindex B w (Summary)
9766 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9767 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9768 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9769 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9770 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9771 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9772 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9775 @kindex B q (Summary)
9776 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9777 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9778 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9779 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9782 @kindex B t (Summary)
9783 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9784 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9785 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9788 @kindex B p (Summary)
9789 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9790 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
9791 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9792 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9793 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9794 article from your news server (or rather, from
9795 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9796 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9797 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9798 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9799 just not have arrived yet.
9802 @kindex K E (Summary)
9803 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9804 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9805 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9806 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9807 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9811 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9812 @cindex moving articles
9813 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9814 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9815 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9816 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9817 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9818 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9819 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9822 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9823 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9824 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9825 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9829 @node Various Summary Stuff
9830 @section Various Summary Stuff
9833 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9834 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9835 * Summary Generation Commands::
9836 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9840 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
9841 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
9842 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
9843 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
9844 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
9845 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
9847 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9848 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9849 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9851 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9852 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9853 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9854 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9855 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9856 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9859 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9860 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9861 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9862 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9863 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9865 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9866 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9867 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9870 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9871 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9872 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9873 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9874 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9875 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9876 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9877 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9878 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9879 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9881 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9882 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9883 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9884 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9885 list of articles to be selected.
9887 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9888 the list in one particular group:
9891 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9892 (if (string= group "some.group")
9893 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9897 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9898 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9899 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9900 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9901 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9902 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9903 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9904 buffers. For example:
9907 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9908 '(message-use-followup-to
9909 (gnus-visible-headers .
9910 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9916 @node Summary Group Information
9917 @subsection Summary Group Information
9922 @kindex H f (Summary)
9923 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9924 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9925 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9926 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9927 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9928 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9929 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9930 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9931 be used for fetching the file.
9934 @kindex H d (Summary)
9935 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9936 Give a brief description of the current group
9937 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9938 rereading the description from the server.
9941 @kindex H h (Summary)
9942 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9943 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9944 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9947 @kindex H i (Summary)
9948 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9949 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9953 @node Searching for Articles
9954 @subsection Searching for Articles
9959 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9960 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9961 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9962 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9965 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9966 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9967 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9968 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9972 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9973 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9974 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9975 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9976 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9977 search backward instead.
9979 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9980 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9983 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9984 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9985 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9986 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9989 @node Summary Generation Commands
9990 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9995 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9996 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9997 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10000 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10001 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10002 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10003 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10006 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10007 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10008 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10009 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10014 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10015 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10021 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10022 @kindex A D (Summary)
10023 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10024 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10025 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10026 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10027 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10028 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10029 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10030 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10034 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10035 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10036 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10037 several documents into one biiig group
10038 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10039 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10040 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10041 command understands the process/prefix convention
10042 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10045 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10046 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10047 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10048 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10049 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10050 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10053 @kindex = (Summary)
10054 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10055 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10056 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10059 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10060 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10061 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10062 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10065 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10066 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10067 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10068 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10073 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10074 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10075 @cindex summary exit
10076 @cindex exiting groups
10078 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10079 group and return you to the group buffer.
10085 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10086 @kindex q (Summary)
10087 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10088 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10089 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10090 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10091 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10092 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10093 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10094 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10095 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10096 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10097 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10098 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10102 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10103 @kindex Q (Summary)
10104 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10105 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10106 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10110 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10111 @kindex c (Summary)
10112 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10113 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10114 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10115 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10118 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10119 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10120 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10121 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10124 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10125 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10126 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10127 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10130 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10131 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10132 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10133 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10134 all articles, both read and unread.
10138 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10139 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10140 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10141 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10142 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10143 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10144 articles, both read and unread.
10147 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10148 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10149 Exit the group and go to the next group
10150 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10153 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10154 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10155 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10156 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10159 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10160 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10161 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10162 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10163 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10164 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10167 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10168 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10169 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10170 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10172 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10173 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10174 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10175 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10176 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10177 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10178 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10179 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10180 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10181 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10182 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10183 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10185 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10187 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10188 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10189 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10190 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10191 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10192 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10193 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10194 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10195 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10198 @node Crosspost Handling
10199 @section Crosspost Handling
10203 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10204 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10205 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10206 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10207 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10208 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10211 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10212 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10213 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10214 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10215 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10217 @cindex cross-posting
10220 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10221 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10222 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10223 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10224 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10225 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10226 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10227 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10228 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10229 the cross reference mechanism.
10231 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10232 @cindex overview.fmt
10233 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10234 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10235 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10236 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10237 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10238 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10241 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10242 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10243 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10248 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10251 @node Duplicate Suppression
10252 @section Duplicate Suppression
10254 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10255 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10256 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10257 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10262 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10263 is evil and not very common.
10266 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10267 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10270 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10271 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10274 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10277 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10278 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10280 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10281 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10282 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10283 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10284 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10285 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10286 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10289 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10290 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10291 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10292 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10293 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10294 saw the article in.
10297 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10298 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10299 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10301 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10302 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10303 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10304 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10305 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10306 session are suppressed.
10308 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10309 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10310 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10311 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10313 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10314 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10315 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10316 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10319 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10320 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10321 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10322 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10323 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10324 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10325 to you to figure out, I think.
10330 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10331 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10332 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10336 To handle PGP and PGP/MIME messages, you have to install an OpenPGP
10337 implementation such as GnuPG. The lisp interface to GnuPG included
10338 with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG Manual}), but
10339 Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10342 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10343 or newer is recommended.
10347 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10348 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10351 @item mm-verify-option
10352 @vindex mm-verify-option
10353 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10354 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10355 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10357 @item mm-decrypt-option
10358 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10359 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10360 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10361 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10364 @vindex mml1991-use
10365 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for PGP
10366 messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but @code{mailcrypt} and
10367 @code{gpg} are also supported although deprecated.
10370 @vindex mml2015-use
10371 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10372 PGP/MIME messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but @code{mailcrypt}
10373 and @code{gpg} are also supported although deprecated.
10378 @section Mailing List
10380 @kindex A M (summary)
10381 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10382 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10383 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10384 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10387 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10392 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10393 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10394 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10397 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10398 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10399 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10402 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10403 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10404 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10408 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10409 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10410 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10413 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10414 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10415 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10418 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10419 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10420 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10424 @node Article Buffer
10425 @chapter Article Buffer
10426 @cindex article buffer
10428 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10429 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10430 tell Gnus otherwise.
10433 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10434 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10435 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10436 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10437 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10441 @node Hiding Headers
10442 @section Hiding Headers
10443 @cindex hiding headers
10444 @cindex deleting headers
10446 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10447 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10449 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10450 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10451 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10452 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10453 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10454 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10455 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10456 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10457 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10459 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10463 @item gnus-visible-headers
10464 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10465 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10466 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10467 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10469 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10470 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10473 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10476 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10479 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10480 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10481 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10482 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10483 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10484 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10486 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10487 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10490 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10493 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10496 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10497 variable will have no effect.
10501 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10502 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10503 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10504 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10505 the headers are to be displayed.
10507 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10508 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10511 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10514 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10515 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10517 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10518 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10519 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10520 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10521 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10522 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10523 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10526 These conditions are:
10529 Remove all empty headers.
10531 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10532 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10534 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10535 @code{From} header.
10537 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10540 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10541 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10543 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10544 the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
10546 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10547 the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
10549 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10552 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10554 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10557 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10560 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10561 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10564 This is also the default value for this variable.
10568 @section Using MIME
10571 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10572 while people stand around yawning.
10574 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10575 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10577 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10578 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10579 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10581 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10582 @findex gnus-display-mime
10583 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10584 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10585 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10586 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10588 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10592 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10593 @item RET (Article)
10594 @kindex RET (Article)
10595 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10596 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10597 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If builtin viewers can not display
10598 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10599 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10600 object is displayed inline.
10602 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10603 @item M-RET (Article)
10604 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10606 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10607 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10609 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10611 @kindex t (Article)
10612 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10613 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10615 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10617 @kindex C (Article)
10618 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10619 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10621 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10623 @kindex o (Article)
10624 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10625 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10627 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10628 @item C-o (Article)
10629 @kindex C-o (Article)
10630 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10631 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10632 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10633 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10634 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10635 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10637 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10639 @kindex c (Article)
10640 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10641 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
10642 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
10643 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
10644 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
10646 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10648 @kindex p (Article)
10649 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10650 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10651 @file{.mailcap} file.
10653 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10655 @kindex i (Article)
10656 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10657 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10658 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10659 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10660 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10663 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10665 @kindex E (Article)
10666 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10667 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10668 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10670 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10672 @kindex e (Article)
10673 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10674 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10676 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10678 @kindex | (Article)
10679 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10681 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10683 @kindex . (Article)
10684 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10685 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10689 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10690 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10693 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10694 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10695 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10696 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10697 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10698 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10699 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10700 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10701 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10703 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10705 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10708 @node Customizing Articles
10709 @section Customizing Articles
10710 @cindex article customization
10712 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10713 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10714 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10715 called automatically when you select the articles.
10717 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10718 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10719 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10720 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10722 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10723 for sensible values.
10727 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10730 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10733 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10736 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10739 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10743 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10744 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10745 regexps in the list.
10748 A list where the first element is not a string:
10750 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10751 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10752 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10756 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10761 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10762 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10763 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10764 considered to contain just a single part.
10766 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10767 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10768 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10769 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10770 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10771 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10772 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10774 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10775 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10776 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10777 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10780 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10781 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10783 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10785 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10786 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10787 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10788 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10789 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10790 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10791 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10792 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10793 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10794 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10796 @xref{Article Washing}.
10798 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10799 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10800 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10801 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10802 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10803 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10804 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10806 @xref{Article Date}.
10808 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10809 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10810 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10814 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10816 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10818 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10819 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10820 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10824 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10828 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10829 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10830 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10831 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10832 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10833 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10834 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10835 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10836 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
10837 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
10839 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10841 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10842 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10843 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10845 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10847 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10848 @item gnus-treat-translate
10849 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10851 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10852 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10853 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10854 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10856 @xref{Article Header}.
10861 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10862 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10863 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10864 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10865 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10869 @node Article Keymap
10870 @section Article Keymap
10872 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10873 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10874 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10875 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10878 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10883 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10884 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10885 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10886 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
10889 @kindex DEL (Article)
10890 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10891 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10892 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
10895 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10896 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10897 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10898 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10899 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10902 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10903 @findex gnus-article-mail
10904 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10905 given a prefix, include the mail.
10908 @kindex s (Article)
10909 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10910 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10911 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10914 @kindex ? (Article)
10915 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10916 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10917 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10920 @kindex TAB (Article)
10921 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10922 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10923 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10926 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10927 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10928 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10931 @kindex R (Article)
10932 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10933 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10934 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10935 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10939 @kindex F (Article)
10940 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10941 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10942 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10943 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10951 @section Misc Article
10955 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10956 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10957 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10958 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10961 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10962 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10964 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10965 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10967 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10968 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10969 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10970 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10971 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10972 the contents of the article buffer.
10974 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10975 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10976 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10978 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10979 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10980 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10981 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10983 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10984 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10985 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10986 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10987 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10993 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10994 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10995 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11000 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11003 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11006 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11007 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11008 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11011 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11014 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11017 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11022 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
11026 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11028 @item gnus-break-pages
11029 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11030 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11031 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11032 paging will not be done.
11034 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11035 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11036 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11041 @node Composing Messages
11042 @chapter Composing Messages
11043 @cindex composing messages
11046 @cindex sending mail
11051 @cindex using s/mime
11052 @cindex using smime
11054 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11055 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11056 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11057 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11058 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11059 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11062 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11063 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11064 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11065 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11066 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11067 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11068 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11069 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11072 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11073 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11079 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11082 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11083 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11084 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11085 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11086 @code{nil} include all headers.
11088 @item gnus-add-to-list
11089 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11090 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11091 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11093 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11094 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11095 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11096 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11097 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11098 confirmation is should be asked for.
11100 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11101 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11103 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11104 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11105 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11106 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11107 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11112 @node Posting Server
11113 @section Posting Server
11115 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11116 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11118 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11120 It can be quite complicated.
11122 @vindex gnus-post-method
11123 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11124 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11125 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11126 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11127 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11128 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11129 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11130 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11131 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11134 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11137 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11138 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11139 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11140 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11142 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11143 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11145 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11146 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11149 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11150 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11152 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11153 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11154 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11155 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11156 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
11157 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11158 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11159 package correctly. An example:
11162 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11163 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11166 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
11167 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
11168 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11170 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11171 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11172 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11174 @node Mail and Post
11175 @section Mail and Post
11177 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11181 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11182 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11183 @cindex mailing lists
11185 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11186 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
11187 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11188 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11189 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11190 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11191 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11192 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11193 still a pain, though.
11195 @item gnus-user-agent
11196 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11199 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11200 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11201 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11202 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11203 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11204 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11205 use a valid format, see RFC 2616."
11209 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11210 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11211 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11214 @findex ispell-message
11216 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11219 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11220 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11223 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11227 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11228 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11230 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11233 Modify to suit your needs.
11236 @node Archived Messages
11237 @section Archived Messages
11238 @cindex archived messages
11239 @cindex sent messages
11241 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11242 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11243 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11244 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11247 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11248 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11251 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11252 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11253 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11256 (nnfolder "archive"
11257 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11258 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11259 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11260 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11263 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11264 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11265 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11266 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11269 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11270 '(nnfolder "archive"
11271 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11272 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11273 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11276 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11278 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11279 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11280 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11282 This variable can be used to do the following:
11287 Messages will be saved in that group.
11289 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11290 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11291 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11292 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11293 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11294 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11295 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11296 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11300 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11302 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11303 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11306 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11311 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11313 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11316 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11318 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11321 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11323 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11324 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11325 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11326 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11329 More complex stuff:
11331 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11332 '((if (message-news-p)
11337 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11338 messages in one file per month:
11341 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11342 '((if (message-news-p)
11344 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11347 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11348 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11350 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11351 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11352 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11353 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11354 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11355 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11356 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11357 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11358 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11359 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11361 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11362 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11363 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11364 this will disable archiving.
11367 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11368 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11369 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11370 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11371 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11374 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11375 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11376 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11379 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11380 but the latter is the preferred method.
11382 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11383 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11384 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11386 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11387 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11388 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11389 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11390 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11391 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11392 changed in the future.
11397 @node Posting Styles
11398 @section Posting Styles
11399 @cindex posting styles
11402 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11404 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11405 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11406 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11409 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11410 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11411 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11412 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11413 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11418 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11419 (organization "What me?"))
11421 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11422 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11423 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11426 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11427 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11428 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11429 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11430 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11431 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11432 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11433 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11435 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11436 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11437 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11438 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11439 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11440 @var{regexp} are strings. (There original article is the one you are
11441 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11442 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11443 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11444 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11445 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11446 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11447 said to @dfn{match}.
11449 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11450 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11451 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11452 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11453 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11454 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11455 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11456 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11457 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11458 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11461 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11462 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11463 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11464 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11465 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11466 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11467 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11468 references chars lines xref extra.
11470 @vindex message-reply-headers
11472 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11473 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11474 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11476 @findex message-mail-p
11477 @findex message-news-p
11479 So here's a new example:
11482 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11484 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11486 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11487 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11489 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11490 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11491 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11492 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11493 (signature my-news-signature))
11494 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11495 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11496 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11497 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11498 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11499 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11500 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11501 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11502 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11503 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11505 (From (save-excursion
11506 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11507 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11509 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11512 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11513 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11514 if you fill many roles.
11521 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11522 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11523 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11524 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11525 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11527 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11528 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11529 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11530 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11531 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11535 @vindex nndraft-directory
11536 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11537 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11538 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11539 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11540 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11541 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11543 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11544 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11547 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11548 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11549 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11550 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11551 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11552 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11553 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11554 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11555 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11556 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11557 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11558 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11559 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11560 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11562 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11563 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11564 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11566 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11567 @kindex D e (Draft)
11568 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11569 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11570 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11572 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11575 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11576 @kindex D s (Draft)
11577 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11578 @kindex D S (Draft)
11579 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11580 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11581 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11582 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11583 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11586 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11587 @kindex D t (Draft)
11588 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11589 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11590 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11593 @node Rejected Articles
11594 @section Rejected Articles
11595 @cindex rejected articles
11597 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11598 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11599 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11600 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11602 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11603 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11604 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11605 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11606 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11608 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11609 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11610 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11612 @node Signing and encrypting
11613 @section Signing and encrypting
11615 @cindex using s/mime
11616 @cindex using smime
11618 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11619 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11620 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11621 (@pxref{Security}).
11623 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11624 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11625 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11626 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11627 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11628 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11629 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11630 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11631 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11632 automatically encrypted messages.
11634 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11635 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11636 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11641 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11642 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11644 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11647 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11648 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11650 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11653 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11654 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11656 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11659 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11660 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11662 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11665 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11666 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11668 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11671 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11672 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11674 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11677 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11678 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11679 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11683 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
11685 @node Select Methods
11686 @chapter Select Methods
11687 @cindex foreign groups
11688 @cindex select methods
11690 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11691 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11692 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11693 personal mail group.
11695 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11696 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11697 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11698 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11699 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11700 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11702 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11703 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11705 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11708 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11709 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11710 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11711 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11712 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11714 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11717 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11718 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11719 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11720 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11721 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11722 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11723 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11724 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11728 @node Server Buffer
11729 @section Server Buffer
11731 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11732 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11733 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11734 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11735 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11736 back end represents a virtual server.
11738 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11739 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11740 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11741 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11743 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11744 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11745 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11746 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11747 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11748 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11749 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11751 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11752 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11755 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11756 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11757 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11758 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11759 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11760 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11761 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11764 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11765 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11768 @node Server Buffer Format
11769 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11770 @cindex server buffer format
11772 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11773 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11774 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11775 variable, with some simple extensions:
11780 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11783 The name of this server.
11786 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11789 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11792 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11793 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11794 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11795 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11805 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11808 @node Server Commands
11809 @subsection Server Commands
11810 @cindex server commands
11816 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11817 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11821 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11822 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11825 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11826 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11827 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11831 @findex gnus-server-exit
11832 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11836 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11837 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11841 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11842 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11846 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11847 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11851 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11852 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11856 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11857 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11858 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11863 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11864 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11865 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11866 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11871 @node Example Methods
11872 @subsection Example Methods
11874 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11877 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11880 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11886 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11887 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11890 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11891 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11893 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11894 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11898 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11901 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11902 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11904 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11905 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11906 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11910 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11913 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11916 Here's the method for a public spool:
11920 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11921 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11927 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11928 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11929 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11930 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11931 should probably look something like this:
11935 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11936 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11937 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11938 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11941 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11942 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11943 configuration to the example above:
11946 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11949 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11951 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11952 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11953 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11957 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11958 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11959 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11960 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11963 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11964 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11965 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11966 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11969 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11970 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11972 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11973 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11975 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11976 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11977 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11979 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11981 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11982 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11983 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11984 will contain the following:
11994 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11995 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11996 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11999 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12000 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12001 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12004 @node Server Variables
12005 @subsection Server Variables
12007 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12008 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12009 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12010 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12011 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12013 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12014 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12015 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12016 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12017 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12018 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12019 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12020 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12021 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12025 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12026 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12027 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12031 @node Servers and Methods
12032 @subsection Servers and Methods
12034 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12035 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12036 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12037 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12041 @node Unavailable Servers
12042 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12044 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12045 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12046 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12047 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12048 actually the case or not.
12050 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12051 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12052 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12053 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12054 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12055 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12056 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12057 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12059 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12060 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12062 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12063 with the following commands:
12069 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12070 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12071 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12075 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12076 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12077 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12081 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12082 Mark the current server as unreachable
12083 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12086 @kindex M-o (Server)
12087 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12088 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12089 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12092 @kindex M-c (Server)
12093 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12094 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12095 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12099 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12100 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12101 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12105 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12106 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12112 @section Getting News
12113 @cindex reading news
12114 @cindex news back ends
12116 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12117 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
12118 or it can read from a local spool.
12121 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
12122 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12130 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
12131 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
12132 server as the, uhm, address.
12134 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12135 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12136 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12137 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12139 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12140 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12141 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12143 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12148 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12149 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12150 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12152 @cindex authentification
12153 @cindex nntp authentification
12154 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12155 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12156 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12157 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
12158 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12159 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12160 present in this hook.
12162 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12163 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12164 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12165 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12166 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
12167 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12168 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12169 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12170 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12171 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12172 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12173 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12177 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12180 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12182 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12183 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12184 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12185 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12186 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12187 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12188 @samp{force} is explained below.
12192 Here's an example file:
12195 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12196 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12199 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12200 have to be first, for instance.
12202 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12203 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12204 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12205 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12206 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12207 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12208 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12210 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12211 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12217 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12218 previously mentioned.
12220 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12222 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12223 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12224 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12225 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12226 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12229 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12230 '(("innd" (ding))))
12233 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12235 The default value is
12238 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12239 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12240 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12243 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12244 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12246 @item nntp-maximum-request
12247 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12248 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12249 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12250 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12251 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12252 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12253 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12255 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12256 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12257 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12258 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12259 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12260 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12261 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12262 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12263 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12264 no timeouts are done.
12266 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12267 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12268 @c @cindex PPP connections
12269 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12270 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12271 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12272 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12273 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12274 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12275 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12276 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12277 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12278 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12280 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12281 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12282 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12283 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12284 @c described above.
12286 @item nntp-server-hook
12287 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12288 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12291 @item nntp-buggy-select
12292 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12293 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12295 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12296 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12297 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12298 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12301 @item nntp-xover-commands
12302 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12305 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12306 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12310 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12311 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12312 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12313 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12314 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12315 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12316 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12317 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12318 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12319 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12320 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12322 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12323 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12324 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12326 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12327 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12328 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12329 server closes connection.
12331 @item nntp-record-commands
12332 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12333 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12334 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12335 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12336 that doesn't seem to work.
12338 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12339 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12340 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12341 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12342 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12343 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12344 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12345 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12347 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12348 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12349 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12350 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12351 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12352 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12353 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12356 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12359 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12360 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12362 @item nntp-read-timeout
12363 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12364 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12365 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12366 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12367 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12373 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12374 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12375 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12379 @node Direct Functions
12380 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12381 @cindex direct connection functions
12383 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12384 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12385 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12386 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12389 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12390 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12391 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12394 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12395 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12396 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
12397 you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12398 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}. You then
12399 define a server as follows:
12402 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12404 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12405 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12407 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12408 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12409 (nntp-port-number 563)
12410 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12413 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12414 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12415 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12416 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12417 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12418 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12419 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12420 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12424 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12425 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12426 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12429 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12430 session, which is not a good idea.
12434 @node Indirect Functions
12435 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12436 @cindex indirect connection functions
12438 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12439 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12440 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12441 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12442 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12443 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12446 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12447 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12448 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12449 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12450 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12452 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12455 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12456 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12457 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12458 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12460 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12461 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12462 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12463 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12464 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12465 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12466 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12467 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12470 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12471 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12472 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12473 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12475 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12478 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12479 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12480 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12483 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12484 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12485 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12486 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12488 @item nntp-via-user-password
12489 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12490 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12492 @item nntp-via-envuser
12493 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12494 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12495 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12496 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12498 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12499 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12500 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12501 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12508 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12513 @item nntp-via-user-name
12514 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12515 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12517 @item nntp-via-address
12518 @vindex nntp-via-address
12519 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12524 @node Common Variables
12525 @subsubsection Common Variables
12527 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12528 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12533 @item nntp-pre-command
12534 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12535 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12536 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12537 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12538 wrapper for instance.
12541 @vindex nntp-address
12542 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12544 @item nntp-port-number
12545 @vindex nntp-port-number
12546 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12547 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12548 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12549 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12551 @item nntp-end-of-line
12552 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12553 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12554 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12555 using a non native connection function.
12557 @item nntp-telnet-command
12558 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12559 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12560 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12561 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12563 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12564 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12565 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12572 @subsection News Spool
12576 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12577 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12578 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12581 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12582 anything else) as the address.
12584 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12585 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12586 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12587 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12591 @item nnspool-inews-program
12592 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12593 Program used to post an article.
12595 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12596 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12597 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12599 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12600 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12601 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12602 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12604 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12605 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12606 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12607 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12609 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12610 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12611 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12613 @item nnspool-active-file
12614 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12615 The name of the active file.
12617 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12618 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12619 The name of the group descriptions file.
12621 @item nnspool-history-file
12622 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12623 The name of the news history file.
12625 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12626 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12627 The name of the active date file.
12629 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12630 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12631 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12634 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12635 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12637 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12638 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12639 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12645 @section Getting Mail
12646 @cindex reading mail
12649 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12653 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12654 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12655 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12656 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12657 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12658 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12659 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12660 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12661 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12662 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12663 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12664 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12665 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12669 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12670 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12672 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12673 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12674 of a culture shock.
12676 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12677 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12679 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12680 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12681 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12682 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12684 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12686 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12687 deleted? How awful!
12689 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12690 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12691 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12692 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12695 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12696 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12697 they want to treat a message.
12699 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12700 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12701 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12702 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12703 archived somewhere else.
12705 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12706 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12707 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12708 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12709 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12711 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12712 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12713 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12715 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12716 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12719 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12720 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12721 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12722 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12723 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12725 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12726 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12727 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12728 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12729 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12730 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12734 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12735 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12737 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12738 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12739 and things will happen automatically.
12741 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
12742 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12745 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12748 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12749 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12750 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12751 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12752 like any other group.
12754 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12757 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12758 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12759 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12763 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12764 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12765 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12768 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12769 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12770 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12773 @node Splitting Mail
12774 @subsection Splitting Mail
12775 @cindex splitting mail
12776 @cindex mail splitting
12778 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12779 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12780 to be split into groups.
12783 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12784 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12785 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12786 ("mail.other" "")))
12789 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12790 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12791 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12792 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12793 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12794 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12795 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12798 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12801 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12802 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12803 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12804 mail belongs in that group.
12806 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12807 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
12808 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12809 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12810 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
12811 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
12813 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12814 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12815 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12816 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12817 thinks should carry this mail message.
12819 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12820 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12821 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12822 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12824 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12825 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12826 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12827 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12828 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
12830 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12833 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12834 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12835 links. If that's the case for you, set
12836 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12837 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12839 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12840 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12841 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12842 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12843 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12844 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12847 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12848 Header lines longer than the value of
12849 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12852 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12853 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12854 By default the splitting codes @sc{mime} decodes headers so you can match
12855 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12856 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12857 can be turned off completely by binding
12858 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12859 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12861 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12862 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12863 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12864 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12865 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12866 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12867 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12870 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12871 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12872 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12873 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12874 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12875 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12876 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12877 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12878 month's rent money.
12882 @subsection Mail Sources
12884 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12885 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12889 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12890 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12891 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12895 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12896 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12898 @cindex mail server
12901 @cindex mail source
12903 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12904 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12909 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12912 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12913 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12914 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12917 The following mail source types are available:
12921 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12927 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12928 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12929 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12933 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12936 An example file mail source:
12939 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12942 Or using the default file name:
12948 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12949 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12950 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12953 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12957 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12960 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12964 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12967 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12969 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12972 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12976 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12977 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12978 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12979 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12980 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12981 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12982 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12983 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12984 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12985 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12987 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12988 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12989 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12990 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12996 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13000 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13004 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13005 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13006 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13007 predicate are considered.
13011 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13015 An example directory mail source:
13018 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13023 Get mail from a POP server.
13029 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
13030 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13033 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
13034 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13035 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13036 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13037 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13040 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
13044 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
13048 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
13049 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13052 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13055 The valid format specifier characters are:
13059 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13060 included in this string.
13063 The name of the server.
13066 The port number of the server.
13069 The user name to use.
13072 The password to use.
13075 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13076 corresponding keywords.
13079 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13080 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13083 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13084 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13087 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
13088 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
13091 @item :authentication
13092 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13093 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13098 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13099 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13101 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
13102 default user name, and default fetcher:
13108 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13111 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13112 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13115 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13118 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13122 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13123 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13124 contains exactly one mail.
13130 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13131 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13134 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13135 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13137 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13138 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13139 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13142 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13143 from locking problems).
13147 Two example maildir mail sources:
13150 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13151 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13155 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13160 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
13161 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
13162 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
13163 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
13166 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
13167 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13173 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
13174 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13177 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13178 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
13181 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
13185 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
13189 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13190 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13191 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
13192 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13194 @item :authentication
13195 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13196 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13197 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13198 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13201 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13202 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13203 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13209 The valid format specifier characters are:
13213 The name of the server.
13216 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13219 The port number of the server.
13222 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13223 corresponding keywords.
13226 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13227 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13230 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13231 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13232 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13233 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13234 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13235 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13238 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13239 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13240 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13241 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13244 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13245 after finishing the fetch.
13249 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13252 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13254 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13258 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13259 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13260 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13262 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13263 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13265 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13271 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13272 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13275 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13279 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13283 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13284 folder after finishing the fetch.
13288 An example webmail source:
13291 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13293 :password "secret")
13298 @item Common Keywords
13299 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13305 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13306 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13310 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13315 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13316 useful when you use local mail and news.
13321 @subsubsection Function Interface
13323 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13324 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13325 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13326 consider the following mail-source setting:
13329 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13330 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13333 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13334 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13335 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13336 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13337 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13339 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13342 @node Mail Source Customization
13343 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13345 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13346 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13350 @item mail-source-crash-box
13351 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13352 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13353 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13355 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13356 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13357 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13358 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13359 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13360 (This will only happen, when reveiving new mail). You may also set
13361 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13362 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13364 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13365 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13366 If @code{non-nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13367 files. This variable only applies when
13368 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13370 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13371 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13372 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13374 @item mail-source-directory
13375 @vindex mail-source-directory
13376 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13377 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13378 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13381 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13382 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13383 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13384 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13385 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13386 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13388 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13389 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13390 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13392 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13393 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13394 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13395 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13400 @node Fetching Mail
13401 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13403 @vindex mail-sources
13404 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13405 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13406 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13407 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13409 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13410 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13413 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13414 mail server, you'd say something like:
13419 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13420 :password "secret")))
13423 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13427 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13428 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13431 :password "secret")))
13435 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13436 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13437 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13438 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13439 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13440 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13444 @node Mail Back End Variables
13445 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13447 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13451 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13452 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13453 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13454 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13456 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13457 @item nnmail-split-hook
13458 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13459 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13460 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13461 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13462 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13463 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13464 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13465 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13466 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13469 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13470 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13471 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13472 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13473 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13474 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13475 starting to handle the new mail) and
13476 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13477 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13478 default file modes the new mail files get:
13481 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13482 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13484 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13485 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13488 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13489 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13490 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13491 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13492 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13493 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13494 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13496 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13497 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13498 @findex delete-file
13499 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13501 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13502 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13503 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13504 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13505 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13507 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13508 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13509 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13510 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13511 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13513 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13514 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13515 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13520 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13521 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13522 @cindex mail splitting
13523 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13525 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13526 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13527 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13528 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13529 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13530 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13532 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13535 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13536 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13537 ;; from real errors.
13538 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13540 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13541 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13542 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13543 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13544 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13545 ;; Other mailing lists...
13546 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13547 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13548 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13549 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13550 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13551 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13552 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13553 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13555 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13556 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13560 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13561 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13562 the five possible split syntaxes:
13567 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13568 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13572 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13573 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13574 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13575 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13576 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13577 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13578 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13579 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13582 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13583 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13584 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13585 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13588 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13589 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13592 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13593 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13596 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13597 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13598 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13599 function should return a @var{split}.
13602 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13603 body of the messages:
13606 (defun split-on-body ()
13608 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13609 (goto-char (point-min))
13610 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13614 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13615 when the @code{:} function is run.
13618 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the
13619 first element is @code{!}, then @var{split} will be processed, and
13620 @var{func} will be called as a function with the result of @var{split}
13621 as argument. @var{func} should return a split.
13624 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13628 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13629 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13630 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13631 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13632 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13634 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13635 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13636 are expanded as specified by the variable
13637 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13638 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13641 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13642 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13643 when all this splitting is performed.
13645 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13646 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13647 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13650 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13653 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13654 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13656 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13657 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13658 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13659 groupings 1 through 9.
13661 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13662 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13663 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13664 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13665 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13666 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13667 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13668 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13669 it once per thread.
13671 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13672 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13673 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13676 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13677 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13679 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13680 ;; other splits go here
13684 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13685 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13686 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13687 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13688 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13689 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13690 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13691 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13692 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13693 unless the group name matches the regexp
13694 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13695 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13696 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13697 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13698 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13699 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13700 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13701 messages goes into the new group.
13703 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13704 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13705 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13706 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13707 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13711 @node Group Mail Splitting
13712 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13713 @cindex mail splitting
13714 @cindex group mail splitting
13716 @findex gnus-group-split
13717 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13718 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13719 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13720 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13721 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13722 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13723 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13724 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13726 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13727 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13728 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13729 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13731 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13732 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13733 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13734 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13735 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13736 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13737 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13739 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13740 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13741 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13742 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13743 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13744 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13745 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13747 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13748 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13749 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13750 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13751 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13752 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13753 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13754 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13755 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13756 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13757 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13758 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13759 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13761 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13766 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13767 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13769 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13770 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13771 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13772 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13774 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13777 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13778 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13779 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13782 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13783 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13784 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13788 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13789 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13790 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13794 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13797 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13798 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13799 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13800 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13801 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13802 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13803 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13804 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13805 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13807 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13808 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13809 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13810 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13811 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13812 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13813 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13814 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13815 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13817 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13818 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13819 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13820 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13821 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13822 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus.el}:
13825 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13828 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13829 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13830 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13831 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13832 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13835 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13836 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13837 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13838 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13840 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13841 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13842 @cindex incorporating old mail
13843 @cindex import old mail
13845 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13846 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13847 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13850 Doing so can be quite easy.
13852 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13853 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13854 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13855 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13856 your @code{nnml} groups.
13862 Go to the group buffer.
13865 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13866 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13869 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
13872 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13873 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13876 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13877 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13880 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13881 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13882 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13883 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13884 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13886 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13887 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13888 using the new mail back end.
13891 @node Expiring Mail
13892 @subsection Expiring Mail
13893 @cindex article expiry
13895 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13896 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13897 different approach to mail reading.
13899 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13900 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13901 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13902 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13903 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13904 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13907 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13908 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13909 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13910 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13911 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13912 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13913 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13914 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13915 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13917 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13918 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13919 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13920 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13921 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13922 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13923 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13926 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13927 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13928 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13929 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13930 into its own group.)
13932 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13933 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13934 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13935 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13936 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13937 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13938 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13939 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13942 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13943 Groups that match the regular expression
13944 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13945 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13946 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13948 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13949 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13950 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13951 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13952 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13954 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13956 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13957 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13958 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13961 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13962 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13963 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13964 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13965 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13967 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13968 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13971 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13972 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13975 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13976 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13978 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13979 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13980 don't really mix very well.
13982 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13983 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13984 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13985 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13988 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13989 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13990 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13991 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13994 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13996 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13998 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14000 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14002 ((string= group "important")
14008 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14009 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14011 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14012 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14013 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14016 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14017 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14019 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14020 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14021 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14022 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14023 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14024 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14025 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14026 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14027 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14028 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14029 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14030 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
14031 name or @code{delete}.
14033 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14035 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14038 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14039 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14040 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14041 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14042 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14045 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14046 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14047 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14048 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14049 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14052 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14053 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14054 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14055 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14056 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14057 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14059 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14060 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14061 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14062 easier for procmail users.
14064 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14065 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14066 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14067 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14068 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14069 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14070 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14071 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14072 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14073 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14074 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14075 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14076 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14079 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14081 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14082 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14083 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14084 auto-expire turned on.
14088 @subsection Washing Mail
14089 @cindex mail washing
14090 @cindex list server brain damage
14091 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14093 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14094 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14095 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14096 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14097 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14098 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14100 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14101 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14102 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14105 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14106 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14107 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14108 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14111 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14112 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14113 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14114 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14115 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14118 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14119 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14120 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14121 Emacs running on MS machines.
14125 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14126 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14127 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14128 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14131 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14132 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14133 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14134 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14136 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14137 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14138 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14139 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14140 into a feature by documenting it.)
14142 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14143 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14144 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14145 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14146 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14147 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14148 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14151 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14152 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14155 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14156 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14159 This can also be done non-destructively with
14160 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14162 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14163 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14164 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14166 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14167 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14169 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14170 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14171 @code{References} headers.
14175 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14176 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14177 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14181 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14182 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14183 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14190 @subsection Duplicates
14192 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14193 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14194 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14195 @cindex duplicate mails
14196 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14197 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14198 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14199 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14200 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14201 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14202 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14203 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14204 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14205 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14206 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14207 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14208 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14210 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14211 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14212 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14213 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14215 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14218 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14219 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14223 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14224 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
14225 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14226 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
14227 (any mail "mail.misc")
14234 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14235 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14240 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14241 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14242 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14243 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14244 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14247 @node Not Reading Mail
14248 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14250 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14251 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14252 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14254 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14255 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14256 mail, which should help.
14258 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14259 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14260 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14261 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14262 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14263 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14264 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14265 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14266 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14267 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14268 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14270 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14271 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14275 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14276 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14278 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14279 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14280 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14282 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14283 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14284 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14288 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14289 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14290 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14291 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14292 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14293 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14294 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14298 @node Unix Mail Box
14299 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14301 @cindex unix mail box
14303 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14304 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14305 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14306 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14307 which group it belongs in.
14309 Virtual server settings:
14312 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14313 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14314 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14317 @item nnmbox-active-file
14318 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14319 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14320 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14322 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14323 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14324 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14325 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14330 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14334 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14335 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14336 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14337 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14338 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14340 Virtual server settings:
14343 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14344 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14345 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14347 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14348 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14349 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14350 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14352 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14353 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14354 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14360 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14362 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14364 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14365 format. It should be used with some caution.
14367 @vindex nnml-directory
14368 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14369 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14370 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14371 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14373 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14376 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14377 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14378 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14379 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14380 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14381 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14382 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14383 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14385 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14386 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14387 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14388 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14390 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14392 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14393 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14394 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14395 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14396 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14397 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14398 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14399 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14402 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14403 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14404 them next time it starts.
14406 Virtual server settings:
14409 @item nnml-directory
14410 @vindex nnml-directory
14411 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14412 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14415 @item nnml-active-file
14416 @vindex nnml-active-file
14417 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14418 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14420 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14421 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14422 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14423 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14425 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14426 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14427 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14430 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14431 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14432 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14433 default is @code{nil}.
14435 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14436 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14437 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14439 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14440 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14441 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14443 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14444 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14445 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14446 default is @code{nil}.
14448 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14449 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14450 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14452 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14453 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14454 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14459 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14460 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14461 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14462 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14463 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14464 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14465 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14470 @subsubsection MH Spool
14472 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14474 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14475 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14476 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14477 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14479 Virtual server settings:
14482 @item nnmh-directory
14483 @vindex nnmh-directory
14484 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14485 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14488 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14489 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14490 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14494 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14495 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14496 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14497 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14498 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14499 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14500 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14505 @subsubsection Maildir
14509 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
14510 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
14511 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
14512 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. nnmaildir also
14513 stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory within a
14516 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
14517 reading, without needing locks. With other backends, you would have
14518 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
14519 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
14520 can still do that with nnmaildir, but the more common configuration is
14521 to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs that appear as
14524 nnmaildir is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will never
14525 corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never corrupt its
14526 data in the filesystem.
14528 nnmaildir stores article marks and NOV data in each maildir. So you
14529 can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to another, and you will
14532 Virtual server settings:
14536 For each of your nnmaildir servers (it's very unlikely that you'd need
14537 more than one), you need to create a directory and populate it with
14538 symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not choose a directory
14539 already used for other purposes). You could also put maildirs
14540 themselves (instead of symlinks to them) directly in the server
14541 directory, but that would break @code{nnmaildir-request-delete-group},
14542 so you wouldn't be able to delete those groups from within Gnus. (You
14543 could still delete them from your shell with @code{rm -r foo}.) Each
14544 maildir will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
14545 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
14546 in the directory starting with `.' are ignored. The directory is
14547 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
14548 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
14549 nnmaildir notices at these times.
14551 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
14552 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
14553 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
14554 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
14555 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
14556 don't worry - a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
14557 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using @file{~/Mail}
14558 or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus use that
14559 directory by default for various things, and may get confused if
14560 nnmaildir uses it too. @file{~/.nnmaildir} is a typical value.
14562 @item create-directory
14563 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
14564 @code{expand-file-name} to get the name of the directory where new
14565 maildirs are created. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the server
14566 is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is closed.
14567 This parameter is optional, but if you do not supply it, you cannot
14568 create new groups from within Gnus. (You could still create them from
14569 your shell with @code{mkdir -m 0700 foo foo/tmp foo/new foo/cur}.) A
14570 relative path is interpreted as relative to the @code{directory} path.
14571 @code{create-directory} and @code{directory} must be different;
14572 otherwise, group creation and deletion will break. (If you don't need
14573 those features, you can omit @code{create-directory} entirely.)
14575 @item directory-files
14576 This should be a function with the same interface as
14577 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
14578 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
14579 parameter is optional; the default is
14580 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
14581 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
14582 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
14583 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
14584 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
14585 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
14588 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
14589 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
14590 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
14591 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
14592 value is @code{nil}.
14594 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
14595 an nnmaildir group. The results might happen to be useful, but that
14596 would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be different
14597 in the future. If your split rules create new groups, remember to
14598 supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
14601 @subsubsection Group parameters
14603 nnmaildir uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore all
14604 this; the default behavior for nnmaildir is the same as the default
14605 behavior for other mail backends: articles are deleted after one week,
14606 etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this functionality is
14607 unique to nnmaildir, so you can ignore it if you're just trying to
14608 duplicate the behavior you already have with another backend.
14610 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
14611 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
14612 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
14613 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
14614 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
14615 backends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
14616 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
14617 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
14618 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
14622 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article before
14623 it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
14624 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
14625 nnmaildir falls back to the usual
14626 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overridable by
14627 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
14628 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
14629 60 60)]}; nnmaildir will evaluate the form and use the result. An
14630 article's age is measured starting from the article file's
14631 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
14632 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
14633 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
14636 If this is set to a string (a full Gnus group name, like
14637 @code{"backend+server.address.string:group.name"}), and if it is not
14638 the name of the same group that the parameter belongs to, then
14639 articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry before
14640 being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an nnmaildir group, the
14641 article will be just as old in the destination group as it was in the
14642 source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the destination
14646 If this is set to @code{t}, nnmaildir will treat the articles in this
14647 maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed from
14648 @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in @file{new/},
14649 not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles cannot be
14650 edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the @file{new/}
14651 directory of another maildir - e.g., a system-wide mailbox containing
14652 a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the maildir outside
14653 @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for a shared
14654 mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or have write
14655 permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't contain
14656 extra copies of the articles.
14658 @item directory-files
14659 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
14660 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
14661 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
14662 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
14665 A list of mark symbols, such as
14666 @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever Gnus asks nnmaildir for
14667 article marks, nnmaildir will say that all articles have these
14668 marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in the filesystem
14669 say so. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will probably be
14670 removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
14671 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
14674 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
14675 Gnus asks nnmaildir for article marks, nnmaildir will say that no
14676 articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in
14677 the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
14678 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
14679 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
14680 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
14682 @item nov-cache-size
14683 An integer specifying the size of the NOV memory cache. To speed
14684 things up, nnmaildir keeps NOV data in memory for a limited number of
14685 articles in each group. (This is probably not worthwhile, and will
14686 probably be removed in the future.) This parameter's value is noticed
14687 only the first time a group is seen after the server is opened - i.e.,
14688 when you first start Gnus, typically. The NOV cache is never resized
14689 until the server is closed and reopened. The default is an estimate
14690 of the number of articles that would be displayed in the summary
14691 buffer: a count of articles that are either marked with @code{tick} or
14692 not marked with @code{read}, plus a little extra.
14695 @subsubsection Article identification
14696 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
14697 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
14698 contains no colons. nnmaildir ignores, but preserves, the
14699 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
14700 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
14701 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
14702 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
14703 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
14704 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
14705 request the article in the summary buffer.
14707 @subsubsection NOV data
14708 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its NOV data (used to
14709 generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
14710 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
14711 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
14712 need for it - an article's NOV data is updated automatically when the
14713 article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can force
14714 nnmaildir to regenerate the NOV data for a single article simply by
14715 deleting the corresponding NOV file, but @emph{beware}: this will also
14716 cause nnmaildir to assign a new article number for this article, which
14717 may cause trouble with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
14719 @subsubsection Article marks
14720 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
14721 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
14722 When Gnus asks nnmaildir for a group's marks, nnmaildir looks for such
14723 files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus asks nnmaildir
14724 to store a new set of marks, nnmaildir creates and deletes the
14725 corresponding files as needed. (Actually, rather than create a new
14726 file for each mark, it just creates hard links to
14727 @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
14729 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
14730 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
14731 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
14732 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
14733 this while Gnus is running and your nnmaildir server is open, it's
14734 best to exit all summary buffers for nnmaildir groups and type @kbd{s}
14735 in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g} in the
14736 group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not pick up the
14737 changes, and might undo them.
14741 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14743 @cindex mbox folders
14744 @cindex mail folders
14746 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14747 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14748 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14751 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14753 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14754 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14755 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14756 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14757 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14758 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14759 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14760 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14761 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14762 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14764 Virtual server settings:
14767 @item nnfolder-directory
14768 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14769 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14770 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14773 @item nnfolder-active-file
14774 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14775 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14777 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14778 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14779 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14780 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
14782 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14783 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14784 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14787 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14788 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14789 @cindex backup files
14790 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14791 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14792 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14793 your @file{.emacs} file:
14796 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14797 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14799 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14802 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14803 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14804 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14805 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14806 extract some information from it before removing it.
14808 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14809 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14810 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14811 default is @code{nil}.
14813 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14814 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14815 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14817 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14818 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14819 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14820 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14822 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14823 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14824 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14825 default is @code{nil}.
14827 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14828 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14829 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14831 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14832 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14833 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14834 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14839 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14840 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14841 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14842 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14843 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14844 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14847 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14848 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14850 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14851 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14852 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14853 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14854 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14856 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14857 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14858 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14859 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14860 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14861 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14862 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14863 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14866 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14867 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14868 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14869 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14874 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14875 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14876 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14877 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14878 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14879 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14880 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14881 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14882 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14883 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14884 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14885 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14886 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14891 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14892 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14893 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14894 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14895 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14896 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14897 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14898 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14899 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14900 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14901 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14902 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14903 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14904 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14906 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14907 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14912 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14913 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14914 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14915 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14916 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14917 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14918 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14919 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14920 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14921 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14922 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14923 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14924 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14925 provided by the active file and overviews.
14927 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14928 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
14929 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14930 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14931 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14934 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14935 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14940 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14941 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14942 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14943 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14944 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14945 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14946 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14950 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14951 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14952 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14953 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14954 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14955 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14956 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14957 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14958 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14960 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14961 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14962 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14963 friendly mail back end all over.
14967 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14968 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14969 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14970 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14971 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14972 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14973 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14974 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14977 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14978 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14979 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14980 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14981 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14982 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14983 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14984 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14985 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14986 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14987 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14989 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14990 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14991 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14992 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14993 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14994 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14995 This will probably be changed in the future.
14997 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14998 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14999 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15000 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15001 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15004 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
15005 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
15007 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15008 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15009 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15010 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15011 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15012 would) to make it use less memory.
15014 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
15015 with other back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
15016 depending in part on your file system.
15018 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15019 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15024 @node Browsing the Web
15025 @section Browsing the Web
15027 @cindex browsing the web
15031 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15032 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15033 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15034 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15035 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15036 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15037 even know what a news group is.
15039 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15040 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15041 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15042 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15043 you mad in the end.
15045 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15048 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15049 interfaces to these sources.
15053 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15054 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15055 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15056 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15057 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15058 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15061 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15063 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15064 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
15065 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15066 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15067 though, you should be ok.
15069 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15070 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15071 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15072 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15073 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15075 @node Archiving Mail
15076 @subsection Archiving Mail
15077 @cindex archiving mail
15078 @cindex backup of mail
15080 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15081 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15082 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15083 marks is fairly simple.
15085 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15086 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15089 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15090 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15091 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15092 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15093 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15094 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15095 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15096 before you restore the data.
15098 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15099 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15100 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15101 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15102 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15103 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15104 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15105 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15106 is unnecessary in that case.
15109 @subsection Web Searches
15114 @cindex Usenet searches
15115 @cindex searching the Usenet
15117 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15118 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15119 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15120 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15121 searches without having to use a browser.
15123 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15124 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15125 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15126 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15127 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15129 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15130 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15131 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15132 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15133 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15134 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15135 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15136 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15137 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15138 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15141 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15142 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15143 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
15144 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15145 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15146 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15148 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15149 to use @code{nnweb}.
15151 Virtual server variables:
15156 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15157 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15158 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15161 @vindex nnweb-search
15162 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15164 @item nnweb-max-hits
15165 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15166 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15169 @item nnweb-type-definition
15170 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15171 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15172 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15177 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15181 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15184 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15187 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15191 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15198 @subsection Slashdot
15202 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
15203 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15204 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15206 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15207 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
15210 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15211 '((nnslashdot "")))
15214 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15215 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15216 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15217 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15218 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15221 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15222 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15224 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15225 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
15226 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15227 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
15228 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
15229 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15232 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15235 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15236 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15237 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15238 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15239 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15240 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15241 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15243 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15244 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15245 The login name to use when posting.
15247 @item nnslashdot-password
15248 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15249 The password to use when posting.
15251 @item nnslashdot-directory
15252 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15253 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15254 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15256 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15257 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15258 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
15259 news articles and comments. The default is
15260 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15262 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15263 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15264 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
15266 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
15268 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15269 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15270 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
15272 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15274 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15275 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15276 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15278 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15279 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15280 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15281 updated. The default is 0.
15288 @subsection Ultimate
15290 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15292 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
15293 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15294 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15295 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15297 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15298 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15299 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
15300 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15301 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15302 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15303 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15305 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15308 @item nnultimate-directory
15309 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15310 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
15311 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15316 @subsection Web Archive
15318 @cindex Web Archive
15320 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15321 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15322 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15323 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15326 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15327 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15328 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15329 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
15330 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
15331 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15332 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15333 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15335 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15338 @item nnwarchive-directory
15339 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15340 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
15341 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15343 @item nnwarchive-login
15344 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15345 The account name on the web server.
15347 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15348 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15349 The password for your account on the web server.
15357 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
15358 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
15359 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15362 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
15363 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
15366 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15369 @item nnrss-directory
15370 @vindex nnrss-directory
15371 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15372 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15376 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15377 the summary buffer.
15380 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15381 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15383 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15385 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15386 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15389 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15392 (require 'browse-url)
15394 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15396 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15399 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15400 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15403 (browse-url (cdr url))
15404 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15405 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15407 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15408 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15409 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15410 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15413 @node Customizing w3
15414 @subsection Customizing w3
15420 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15421 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15422 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15424 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15425 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15426 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15429 (eval-after-load "w3"
15431 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15432 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15433 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15434 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15436 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15439 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15440 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15449 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
15450 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
15451 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15452 specify the network address of the server.
15454 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
15455 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
15456 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
15457 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
15458 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15460 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
15461 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
15462 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
15463 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
15465 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15466 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15467 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
15468 usage explained in this section.
15470 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
15471 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
15472 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15475 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15476 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
15477 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
15479 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15480 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15481 ; a UW server running on localhost
15483 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15484 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15485 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15486 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15487 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15488 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15489 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15490 (nnimap-stream network))
15491 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15493 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15494 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15495 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15498 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15499 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15500 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15501 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15503 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15508 @item nnimap-address
15509 @vindex nnimap-address
15511 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15512 server name if not specified.
15514 @item nnimap-server-port
15515 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15516 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15518 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15521 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15522 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15525 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15526 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15527 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15528 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15529 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15530 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15531 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15533 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15534 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15535 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15538 Example server specification:
15541 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15542 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15543 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15546 @item nnimap-stream
15547 @vindex nnimap-stream
15548 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15549 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15550 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15551 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15553 Example server specification:
15556 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15557 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15560 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15564 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15565 @samp{imtest} program.
15567 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15569 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15570 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15573 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15574 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
15576 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15578 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15581 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15582 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15583 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15584 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15585 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15586 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15587 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15588 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15589 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15592 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15593 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15594 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15595 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
15596 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15597 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15598 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15601 @vindex imap-shell-program
15602 @vindex imap-shell-host
15603 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15604 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15606 @item nnimap-authenticator
15607 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15609 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15610 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15612 Example server specification:
15615 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15616 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15619 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15623 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15624 external program @code{imtest}.
15626 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15629 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15630 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15632 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15634 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15636 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15639 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15641 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15642 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15643 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15644 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15645 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15646 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15649 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15650 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15651 running in circles yet?
15653 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15654 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15657 The possible options are:
15662 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
15665 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15666 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15667 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15668 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15670 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15675 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15676 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15678 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15679 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15680 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15681 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15682 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15685 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15686 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15689 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15690 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15691 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15692 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15695 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15696 as ticked for other users.
15698 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15700 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15702 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15703 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15704 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15705 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15707 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15708 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15709 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15710 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15712 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15713 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15715 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15716 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15717 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15723 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15724 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15725 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15726 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
15727 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15732 @node Splitting in IMAP
15733 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15734 @cindex splitting imap mail
15736 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15737 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15738 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15739 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15740 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15744 Here are the variables of interest:
15748 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15749 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15751 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15753 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15754 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15756 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15758 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15759 @cindex splitting, inbox
15761 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15763 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15764 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15768 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15769 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15772 No nnmail equivalent.
15774 @item nnimap-split-rule
15775 @cindex Splitting, rules
15776 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15778 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15781 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15782 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15783 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15784 Neither did I, we need examples.
15787 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15789 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15790 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15791 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15794 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15795 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15796 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15798 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15799 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15803 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15806 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15807 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15809 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15810 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15811 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15812 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15814 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15815 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15816 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15817 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15818 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15819 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15821 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15822 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
15823 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
15825 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15826 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15827 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15829 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15831 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15832 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15833 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15836 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15837 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15838 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15839 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15840 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15841 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15844 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15845 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15846 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15847 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15848 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15849 group/function elements.
15851 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15853 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15855 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15857 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15858 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15860 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15861 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15862 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15865 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15866 @cindex splitting, fancy
15867 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15868 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15870 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15871 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15872 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15874 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15875 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15876 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15877 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15882 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15883 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15886 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15888 @item nnimap-split-download-body
15889 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
15890 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
15892 Set to non-nil to download entire articles during splitting. This is
15893 generally not required, and will slow things down considerably. You
15894 may need it if you want to use an advanced splitting function that
15895 analyses the body to split the article.
15899 @node Expiring in IMAP
15900 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15901 @cindex expiring imap mail
15903 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
15904 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
15905 Mail}). Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do
15906 not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
15907 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
15908 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
15911 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15912 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15913 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15914 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15915 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15916 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15917 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15918 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15922 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15923 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15925 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15926 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
15928 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15930 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15931 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15932 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15933 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15937 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15938 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15939 @cindex editing imap acls
15940 @cindex Access Control Lists
15941 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15943 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15945 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15946 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15947 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15950 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15951 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15952 editing window with detailed instructions.
15954 Some possible uses:
15958 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15959 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15960 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15962 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15963 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
15964 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15968 @node Expunging mailboxes
15969 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15973 @cindex Manual expunging
15975 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15977 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15978 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15979 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15981 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15984 @node A note on namespaces
15985 @subsection A note on namespaces
15986 @cindex IMAP namespace
15989 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15990 following text in the RFC:
15993 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15995 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15996 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15997 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15998 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16000 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16001 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16002 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16003 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16004 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16005 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16008 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
16009 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
16010 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16012 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
16013 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
16014 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
16015 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
16016 the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
16017 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
16018 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
16019 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
16021 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16022 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16023 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16025 @node Other Sources
16026 @section Other Sources
16028 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16029 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16033 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16034 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16035 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16036 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16037 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16041 @node Directory Groups
16042 @subsection Directory Groups
16044 @cindex directory groups
16046 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16047 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16050 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16051 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16052 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16053 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16055 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16056 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16057 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16058 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16059 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16061 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
16063 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16064 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16065 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16066 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16069 @node Anything Groups
16070 @subsection Anything Groups
16073 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16074 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16075 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16078 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16079 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16080 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16081 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16082 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16083 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16084 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16085 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16086 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16087 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16090 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16091 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16092 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16093 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16095 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16096 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16097 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16098 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16100 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16101 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16102 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16103 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16104 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16105 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16106 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16107 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16112 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16113 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16114 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16115 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16117 @item nneething-exclude-files
16118 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16119 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16120 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16122 @item nneething-include-files
16123 @vindex nneething-include-files
16124 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16125 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16127 @item nneething-map-file
16128 @vindex nneething-map-file
16129 Name of the map files.
16133 @node Document Groups
16134 @subsection Document Groups
16136 @cindex documentation group
16139 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16140 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16147 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
16152 The standard Unix mbox file.
16154 @cindex MMDF mail box
16156 The MMDF mail box format.
16159 Several news articles appended into a file.
16162 @cindex rnews batch files
16163 The rnews batch transport format.
16164 @cindex forwarded messages
16167 Forwarded articles.
16170 Netscape mail boxes.
16173 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
16175 @item standard-digest
16176 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16179 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
16181 @item lanl-gov-announce
16182 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16184 @item rfc822-forward
16185 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16188 The Outlook mail box.
16191 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16194 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16197 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16200 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16206 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16209 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16215 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16216 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16217 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16220 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16221 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16222 group. And that's it.
16224 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16225 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16226 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16227 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16228 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16229 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16230 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16231 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16232 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16233 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16235 Virtual server variables:
16238 @item nndoc-article-type
16239 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16240 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16241 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16242 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16243 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16244 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16246 @item nndoc-post-type
16247 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16248 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16249 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16254 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16258 @node Document Server Internals
16259 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16261 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16262 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16263 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16264 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16266 First, here's an example document type definition:
16270 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16271 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16274 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16275 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16276 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16277 types can be defined with very few settings:
16280 @item first-article
16281 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16282 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16285 @item article-begin
16286 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16287 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16289 @item head-begin-function
16290 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16293 @item nndoc-head-begin
16294 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16297 @item nndoc-head-end
16298 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16299 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16301 @item body-begin-function
16302 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16306 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16309 @item body-end-function
16310 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16314 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16317 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16318 regexp will be totally ignored.
16322 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16323 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16324 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16325 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16326 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16329 @item prepare-body-function
16330 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16331 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16332 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16334 @item article-transform-function
16335 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16336 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16337 body of the article.
16339 @item generate-head-function
16340 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16341 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16342 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16343 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16347 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16352 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16353 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16354 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16355 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16356 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16357 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16358 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16359 (subtype digest guess))
16362 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16363 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16364 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16365 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16366 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16368 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16369 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
16370 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
16371 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
16372 The alist is traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is
16373 called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is
16374 called to see whether a document is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on.
16375 These type predicates should return @code{nil} if the document is not
16376 of the correct type; @code{t} if it is of the correct type; and a
16377 number if the document might be of the correct type. A high number
16378 means high probability; a low number means low probability with
16379 @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16387 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16388 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16389 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16391 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16392 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16393 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16396 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16397 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16398 that interested in doing things properly.
16400 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16401 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16404 First some terminology:
16409 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16410 get news and/or mail from.
16413 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16414 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16417 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16421 @item message packets
16422 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16423 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16424 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16426 @item response packets
16427 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16428 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16429 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16439 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16440 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16441 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16442 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16445 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16448 You put the packet in your home directory.
16451 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16452 the native or secondary server.
16455 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16456 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16459 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16463 You transfer this packet to the server.
16466 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16469 You then repeat until you die.
16473 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16474 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16477 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16478 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16479 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16483 @node SOUP Commands
16484 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16486 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16490 @kindex G s b (Group)
16491 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16492 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16493 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16494 process/prefix convention.
16497 @kindex G s w (Group)
16498 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16499 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16502 @kindex G s s (Group)
16503 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16504 Send all replies from the replies packet
16505 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16508 @kindex G s p (Group)
16509 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16510 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16513 @kindex G s r (Group)
16514 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16515 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16518 @kindex O s (Summary)
16519 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16520 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16521 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16522 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16527 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16532 @item gnus-soup-directory
16533 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16534 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16535 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16537 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16538 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16539 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16540 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16542 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16543 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16544 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16545 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16547 @item gnus-soup-packer
16548 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16549 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16550 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16552 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16553 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16554 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16555 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16557 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16558 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16559 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16561 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16562 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16563 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16564 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16570 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16573 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16574 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16575 you can read them at leisure.
16577 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16581 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16582 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16583 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16584 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16586 @item nnsoup-directory
16587 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16588 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16589 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16591 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16592 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16593 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16594 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
16596 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16597 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16598 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16599 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16600 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16602 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16603 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16604 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16605 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16607 @item nnsoup-active-file
16608 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16609 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16610 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16611 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16612 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16614 @item nnsoup-packer
16615 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16616 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16617 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16619 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16620 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16621 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16622 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16624 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16625 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16626 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16629 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16630 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16631 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16634 @item nnsoup-always-save
16635 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16636 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16642 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16644 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16645 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16646 more for that to happen.
16648 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16649 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16650 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16653 In specific, this is what it does:
16656 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16657 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16660 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16661 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16662 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16665 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16666 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16667 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16670 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16671 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16672 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16674 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16680 @item nngateway-address
16681 @vindex nngateway-address
16682 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16684 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16685 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16686 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16687 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16688 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16689 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16690 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16693 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16694 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16695 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16698 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16701 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16704 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16707 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16709 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16712 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16713 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16714 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16716 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16718 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16719 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16720 @code{nngateway-address}.
16725 (setq gnus-post-method
16727 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16728 (nngateway-header-transformation
16729 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16737 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16740 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16745 @node Combined Groups
16746 @section Combined Groups
16748 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16752 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16753 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16757 @node Virtual Groups
16758 @subsection Virtual Groups
16760 @cindex virtual groups
16761 @cindex merging groups
16763 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16766 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16767 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16768 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16770 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16771 regexp to match component groups.
16773 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16774 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16775 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16776 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16777 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16778 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16779 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16780 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16782 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16783 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16786 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16789 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16790 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16792 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16793 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16794 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16795 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16798 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16801 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16802 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16803 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16805 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16806 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16807 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16808 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16809 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16811 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16812 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16813 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16815 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16816 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16817 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16818 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16819 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16820 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16821 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16822 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16823 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16824 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16825 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16827 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16828 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16829 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16830 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16831 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16832 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16833 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16835 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16836 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16838 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16839 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16843 @node Kibozed Groups
16844 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16848 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16849 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16850 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16851 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16853 @kindex G k (Group)
16854 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16857 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16858 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16859 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16860 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16862 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16863 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16864 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16866 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16867 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16868 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16869 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16870 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16871 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16872 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16873 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16875 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16876 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16877 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16878 Stranger things have happened.
16880 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16881 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16883 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16884 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16885 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16886 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16887 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16888 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16890 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16891 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16894 @node Gnus Unplugged
16895 @section Gnus Unplugged
16900 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16902 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16903 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16904 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16905 read news. Believe it or not.
16907 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16908 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16909 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16910 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16911 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16913 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16914 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16915 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16916 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16917 reading news on a machine.
16919 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16920 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16922 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16925 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16926 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16927 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16928 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16929 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16930 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
16931 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16932 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16933 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16934 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16935 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16936 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16941 @subsection Agent Basics
16943 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16945 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16946 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16947 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16948 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16950 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16951 connected to the net continuously.
16953 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16954 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16956 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16961 @findex gnus-unplugged
16962 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16963 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16964 already fetched while in this mode.
16967 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16968 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16969 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16970 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16971 Source Specifiers}).
16974 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16975 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16976 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16977 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16978 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16981 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16982 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16983 then you read the news offline.
16986 And then you go to step 2.
16989 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16995 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16996 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16997 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16998 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16999 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17000 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17001 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17002 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17005 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
17008 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17012 @node Agent Categories
17013 @subsection Agent Categories
17015 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17016 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17017 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17018 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17019 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17020 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17021 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17023 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
17024 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
17025 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
17026 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
17027 managing categories.
17030 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17031 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17032 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17036 @node Category Syntax
17037 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17039 A category consists of two things.
17043 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17044 are eligible for downloading; and
17047 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17048 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17049 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17052 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17053 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17054 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17055 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17057 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17058 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17059 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17061 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17062 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17063 operators sprinkled in between.
17065 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17067 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17068 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17074 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17075 short (for some value of ``short'').
17077 Here's a more complex predicate:
17086 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17087 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17090 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17091 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17092 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17094 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17095 you want to do, you can write your own.
17099 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17100 lines; default 100.
17103 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17104 lines; default 200.
17107 True iff the article has a download score less than
17108 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17111 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17112 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17115 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17116 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17117 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17126 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17127 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17128 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17131 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17132 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17133 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17134 something along the lines of the following:
17137 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17138 "Say whether an article is old."
17139 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17140 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17143 with the predicate then defined as:
17146 (not my-article-old-p)
17149 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17150 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17154 (require 'gnus-agent)
17155 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17156 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17157 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17160 and simply specify your predicate as:
17166 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17167 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17168 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17169 just don't give a damn.
17171 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17172 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17173 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17174 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
17175 parameters like so:
17178 (agent-predicate . short)
17181 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17182 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17183 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17185 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17188 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17191 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17192 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17193 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17196 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17197 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17198 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17199 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17200 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17201 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17203 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17204 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17205 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17206 if it's to be specific to that group.
17208 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17215 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
17216 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
17222 Category specification
17226 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17232 Group Parameter specification
17235 (agent-score ("from"
17236 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17241 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
17247 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
17248 keywords stated above.
17254 Category specification
17257 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
17263 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
17267 Group Parameter specification
17270 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
17273 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
17278 Use @code{normal} score files
17280 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
17281 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
17282 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
17283 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
17285 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
17286 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
17287 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
17288 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
17292 Category Specification
17299 Group Parameter specification
17302 (agent-score . file)
17307 @node Category Buffer
17308 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17310 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17311 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17312 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17314 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17318 @kindex q (Category)
17319 @findex gnus-category-exit
17320 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17323 @kindex k (Category)
17324 @findex gnus-category-kill
17325 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17328 @kindex c (Category)
17329 @findex gnus-category-copy
17330 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17333 @kindex a (Category)
17334 @findex gnus-category-add
17335 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17338 @kindex p (Category)
17339 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17340 Edit the predicate of the current category
17341 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
17344 @kindex g (Category)
17345 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
17346 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
17347 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
17350 @kindex s (Category)
17351 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
17352 Edit the download score rule of the current category
17353 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
17356 @kindex l (Category)
17357 @findex gnus-category-list
17358 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
17362 @node Category Variables
17363 @subsubsection Category Variables
17366 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
17367 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
17368 Hook run in category buffers.
17370 @item gnus-category-line-format
17371 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
17372 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
17373 Variables}). Valid elements are:
17377 The name of the category.
17380 The number of groups in the category.
17383 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
17384 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
17385 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
17387 @item gnus-agent-short-article
17388 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
17389 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
17391 @item gnus-agent-long-article
17392 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
17393 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
17395 @item gnus-agent-low-score
17396 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
17397 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
17400 @item gnus-agent-high-score
17401 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
17402 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
17408 @node Agent Commands
17409 @subsection Agent Commands
17410 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
17411 @kindex J j (Agent)
17413 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
17414 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
17415 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
17419 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
17420 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
17421 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
17427 @node Group Agent Commands
17428 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
17432 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
17433 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
17434 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
17435 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
17438 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
17439 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
17440 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
17443 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
17444 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17445 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17446 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17449 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17450 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17451 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17452 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17455 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17456 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17457 Add the current group to an Agent category
17458 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17459 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17462 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17463 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17464 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17465 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17466 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17469 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17470 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17471 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17477 @node Summary Agent Commands
17478 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17482 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17483 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17484 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17487 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17488 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17489 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17490 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17494 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17495 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17496 Toggle whether to download the article
17497 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The dowload mark is @samp{%} by
17501 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17502 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17503 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
17506 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
17507 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
17508 Download all eligible (See @pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
17509 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
17512 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
17513 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
17514 Download all processable articles in this group.
17515 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
17518 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17519 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17520 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17521 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17526 @node Server Agent Commands
17527 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17531 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17532 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17533 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17534 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17537 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17538 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17539 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17540 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17545 @node Agent as Cache
17546 @subsection Agent as Cache
17548 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17549 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17550 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17551 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17552 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17553 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17554 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17555 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17556 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17558 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17559 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17562 @subsection Agent Expiry
17564 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17565 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17566 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17567 @cindex Agent expiry
17568 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17571 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17572 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17573 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17574 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17575 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17576 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17578 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
17579 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
17580 synchronized with the group.
17582 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17583 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17584 expiry in different groups.
17587 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17593 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17594 method---it must always match all groups. Also, for a regexp to match,
17595 it must match from the beginning of the group's name.
17597 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17598 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17599 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17600 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17601 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17603 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17604 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17605 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17607 @node Agent Regeneration
17608 @subsection Agent Regeneration
17610 @cindex Agent Regeneration
17611 @cindex Gnus Agent Regeneration
17612 @cindex regeneration
17614 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
17615 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
17616 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
17617 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
17618 internal inconsistencies.
17620 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
17621 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
17622 know about articles downloaded prior to the connection failure.
17623 Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
17624 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
17625 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
17627 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17628 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
17629 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
17630 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
17631 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
17632 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
17634 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
17635 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
17636 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
17637 of individual articles to repair the local NOV(header) database. It
17638 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
17639 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
17642 @node Agent and IMAP
17643 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17645 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17646 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17647 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17648 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17650 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17651 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
17652 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17653 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17655 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17656 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17657 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17658 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17660 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17661 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17662 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17663 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17664 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17665 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17667 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17668 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17669 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17670 in the group buffer.
17672 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17673 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17678 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17681 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17685 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
17686 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17687 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17688 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17689 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17690 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
17691 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17692 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17695 @node Outgoing Messages
17696 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17698 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17699 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17700 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17702 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17703 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17704 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17705 messages in the draft group.
17709 @node Agent Variables
17710 @subsection Agent Variables
17713 @item gnus-agent-directory
17714 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17715 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17716 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17718 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17719 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17720 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17721 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17722 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17725 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17726 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17727 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17729 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17730 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17731 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17733 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17734 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17735 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17737 @item gnus-agent-cache
17738 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17739 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17740 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17741 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17743 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17744 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17745 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17746 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17747 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17748 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17749 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17752 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
17753 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
17754 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
17755 mark articles as unread after downloading. The default is t.
17757 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
17758 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
17759 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
17760 agent will fetch all missing headers. When @code{nil}, the agent will
17761 fetch only new headers. The default is @code{nil}.
17763 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
17764 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
17765 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
17766 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
17767 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
17768 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
17769 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
17770 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
17771 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
17772 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
17773 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
17774 available while unplugged).
17776 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17777 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17778 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17779 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17780 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17781 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17782 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17783 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17784 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17789 @node Example Setup
17790 @subsection Example Setup
17792 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17793 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17794 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17797 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17798 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17799 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17801 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17802 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17803 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17805 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17806 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17808 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17809 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17810 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17813 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17814 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17817 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17818 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17819 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17820 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17821 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17824 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17825 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17826 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17827 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17828 back all the killed groups.)
17830 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17831 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17832 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17835 @node Batching Agents
17836 @subsection Batching Agents
17837 @findex gnus-agent-batch
17839 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17840 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17841 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17843 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
17844 following incantation:
17848 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
17852 @node Agent Caveats
17853 @subsection Agent Caveats
17855 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17856 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17860 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17862 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
17863 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
17864 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
17866 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17868 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
17872 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17873 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
17874 locally stored articles.
17881 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17882 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17883 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17886 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17887 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17888 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17889 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17890 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17892 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17893 before generating the summary buffer.
17895 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17896 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17897 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17899 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17900 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17901 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17902 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17905 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17906 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17907 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17908 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17909 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17910 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17911 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17912 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17913 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17914 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17915 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17916 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17917 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17918 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17919 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17920 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17921 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17925 @node Summary Score Commands
17926 @section Summary Score Commands
17927 @cindex score commands
17929 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17930 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17931 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17932 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17933 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17935 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17936 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17937 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17938 score file the current one.
17940 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17945 @kindex V s (Summary)
17946 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17947 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17950 @kindex V S (Summary)
17951 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17952 Display the score of the current article
17953 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17956 @kindex V t (Summary)
17957 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17958 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17959 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17962 @kindex V w (Summary)
17963 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17964 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17967 @kindex V R (Summary)
17968 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17969 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17970 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17971 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17972 effect you're having.
17975 @kindex V c (Summary)
17976 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17977 Make a different score file the current
17978 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17981 @kindex V e (Summary)
17982 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17983 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17984 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17988 @kindex V f (Summary)
17989 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17990 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17991 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17994 @kindex V F (Summary)
17995 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17996 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17997 after editing score files.
18000 @kindex V C (Summary)
18001 @findex gnus-score-customize
18002 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
18003 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
18007 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18012 @kindex V m (Summary)
18013 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18014 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18015 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18018 @kindex V x (Summary)
18019 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18020 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18021 expunge all articles below this score
18022 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18025 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18026 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18029 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18030 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18034 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18035 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18037 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18038 keys are available:
18042 Score on the author name.
18045 Score on the subject line.
18048 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18051 Score on the @code{References} line.
18057 Score on the number of lines.
18060 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
18063 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
18064 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
18067 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
18068 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
18069 @file{ADAPT} files.)
18078 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
18084 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
18085 what headers you are scoring on.
18097 Substring matching.
18100 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
18129 Greater than number.
18134 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
18135 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
18136 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
18141 Temporary score entry.
18144 Permanent score entry.
18147 Immediately scoring.
18151 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
18152 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
18153 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
18157 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
18158 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
18159 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
18160 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
18162 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
18163 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
18164 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
18165 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
18166 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
18168 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
18169 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
18170 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
18171 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
18172 current score file.
18174 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
18175 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
18176 pretend they are keymaps or not.
18179 @node Group Score Commands
18180 @section Group Score Commands
18181 @cindex group score commands
18183 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
18188 @kindex W f (Group)
18189 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18190 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
18191 all the time. This command will flush the cache
18192 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
18196 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
18198 @findex gnus-batch-score
18199 @cindex batch scoring
18201 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
18205 @node Score Variables
18206 @section Score Variables
18207 @cindex score variables
18211 @item gnus-use-scoring
18212 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
18213 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
18214 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
18216 @item gnus-kill-killed
18217 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
18218 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
18219 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
18220 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
18221 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
18222 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
18223 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
18225 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
18226 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
18227 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
18228 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
18229 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
18231 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
18232 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
18233 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
18234 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
18236 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18237 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18238 @cindex score cache
18239 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
18240 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
18241 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
18242 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
18243 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
18244 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
18245 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
18248 @item gnus-save-score
18249 @vindex gnus-save-score
18250 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
18251 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
18252 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18254 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
18255 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
18256 across group visits.
18258 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18259 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18260 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
18261 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
18262 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
18263 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
18264 manually entered data.
18266 @item gnus-summary-default-score
18267 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
18268 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
18270 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
18271 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
18272 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
18273 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
18274 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
18275 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
18277 @item gnus-score-over-mark
18278 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
18279 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
18280 default. Default is @samp{+}.
18282 @item gnus-score-below-mark
18283 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
18284 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
18285 default. Default is @samp{-}.
18287 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18288 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18289 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
18290 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
18292 Predefined functions available are:
18295 @item gnus-score-find-single
18296 @findex gnus-score-find-single
18297 Only apply the group's own score file.
18299 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
18300 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
18301 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
18302 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
18303 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
18304 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
18305 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
18306 then a regexp match is done.
18308 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
18309 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
18311 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
18312 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
18313 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
18314 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
18316 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18317 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18318 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
18319 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
18320 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
18324 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
18325 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
18326 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
18327 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
18328 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
18329 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
18330 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
18333 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
18334 overall score file, you could use the value
18336 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
18337 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
18340 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
18341 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
18342 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
18343 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
18344 are expired. It's 7 by default.
18346 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18347 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18348 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
18349 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
18350 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
18351 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
18352 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
18353 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
18355 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18356 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18357 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
18359 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
18360 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
18361 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
18362 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
18363 threading---according to the current value of
18364 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
18365 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
18366 simplified in this manner.
18371 @node Score File Format
18372 @section Score File Format
18373 @cindex score file format
18375 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
18376 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
18377 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
18379 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
18383 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
18385 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
18387 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
18389 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
18394 (mark-and-expunge -10)
18398 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
18399 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
18400 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
18401 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
18405 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
18406 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
18408 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
18409 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
18410 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
18412 Six keys are supported by this alist:
18417 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
18418 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
18419 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
18420 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
18421 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
18422 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
18423 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
18424 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
18425 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
18426 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
18427 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
18428 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
18429 to articles that matches these score entries.
18431 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
18432 score entry has one to four elements.
18436 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
18437 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
18441 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
18442 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
18443 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
18444 is successful. If this element is not present, the
18445 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
18446 instead. This is 1000 by default.
18449 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
18450 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
18451 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
18452 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
18453 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
18456 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
18457 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
18458 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
18459 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
18462 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
18463 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
18464 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
18465 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
18466 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
18467 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
18468 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
18469 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
18470 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
18471 instead, if you feel like.
18474 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
18475 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
18476 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
18477 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
18478 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
18479 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
18482 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
18486 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
18487 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
18489 These predicates are true if
18492 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
18495 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
18496 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
18503 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
18504 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
18505 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
18506 it's not. I think.)
18508 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
18509 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
18510 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
18511 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
18514 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
18515 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
18516 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
18517 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
18518 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
18519 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
18520 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
18524 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
18525 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
18526 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
18527 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
18528 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
18529 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
18530 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
18531 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
18534 @item Head, Body, All
18535 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
18539 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
18540 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
18541 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
18542 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18543 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18544 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18545 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
18549 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
18550 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
18551 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
18552 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
18553 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
18554 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
18555 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
18556 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
18557 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
18558 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
18559 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18563 @cindex Score File Atoms
18565 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18566 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18569 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18570 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18572 @item mark-and-expunge
18573 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18574 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18577 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18578 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18579 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18580 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18581 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18584 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18585 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18588 @item exclude-files
18589 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18590 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18594 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18595 ignored when handling global score files.
18598 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18599 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18600 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18601 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18604 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18605 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18606 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18607 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18609 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18613 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18616 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18617 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18618 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18619 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18620 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18622 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18623 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18624 scoring rules exist.
18627 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18628 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18629 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18630 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18631 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18632 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18633 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18634 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18635 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18636 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18637 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18641 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18642 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18643 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18644 file for a number of groups.
18647 @cindex local variables
18648 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
18649 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
18650 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
18651 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
18652 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
18657 @node Score File Editing
18658 @section Score File Editing
18660 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18661 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18662 with a mode for that.
18664 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18665 additional commands:
18670 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18671 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18672 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18673 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18676 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18677 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18678 Insert the current date in numerical format
18679 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18680 you were wondering.
18683 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18684 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18685 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18686 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18687 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18692 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18694 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18695 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18697 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18698 e} to begin editing score files.
18701 @node Adaptive Scoring
18702 @section Adaptive Scoring
18703 @cindex adaptive scoring
18705 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18706 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18707 stupidity, to be precise.
18709 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18710 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18711 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18712 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18713 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18714 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18715 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18716 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18717 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18719 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18720 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18721 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18722 might look something like this:
18725 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18726 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18727 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18728 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18729 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18730 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18731 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18732 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18733 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18734 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18735 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18736 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18739 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18740 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18741 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18742 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18743 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18744 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18747 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18748 will be applied to each article.
18750 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18751 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18752 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18753 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18755 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18756 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18757 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18758 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18760 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18761 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18762 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18763 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18765 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18766 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18767 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18768 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18769 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18770 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18772 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18773 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18774 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18776 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18777 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18778 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18780 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18781 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18782 let you use different rules in different groups.
18784 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18785 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18786 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18789 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18790 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18791 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18792 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18793 the length of the match is less than
18794 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18795 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18798 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18799 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18800 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18801 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18802 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18805 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18806 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18807 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18808 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18809 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18812 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18813 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18814 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18815 score with 30 points.
18817 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18818 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18819 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18820 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18821 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18823 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18824 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18825 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18826 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18827 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
18829 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18830 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18831 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18832 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18834 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18835 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18836 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18837 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18839 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18840 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18841 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18842 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18843 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18845 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18846 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18847 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18849 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18850 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18851 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18852 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18855 @node Home Score File
18856 @section Home Score File
18858 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18859 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18860 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18861 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18863 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18864 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18865 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18867 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18868 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18873 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18877 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18878 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18882 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18886 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18887 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18890 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18891 the home score file.
18894 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18897 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18902 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18905 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18906 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18909 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18910 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18912 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18914 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18915 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18918 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18919 Other functions include
18922 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18923 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18924 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18925 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18929 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18930 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18931 their own home score files:
18934 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18935 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18936 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18937 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18938 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18941 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18942 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18943 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18944 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18945 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18947 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18948 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18949 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18950 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18951 precedence over this variable.
18954 @node Followups To Yourself
18955 @section Followups To Yourself
18957 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18958 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18959 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18960 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18961 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18962 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18966 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18967 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18968 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18971 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18972 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18973 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18977 @vindex message-sent-hook
18978 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18979 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18981 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18985 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18986 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18990 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18991 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18994 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18995 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
19000 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
19004 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
19005 is system-dependent.
19008 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19009 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19010 @cindex scoring on other headers
19012 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19013 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19014 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19015 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19016 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19018 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19019 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
19020 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
19021 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
19022 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19024 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19027 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19028 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19031 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19032 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19033 time if you have much mail.
19035 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19036 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19042 @section Scoring Tips
19043 @cindex scoring tips
19049 @cindex scoring crossposts
19050 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19051 the @code{Xref} header.
19053 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
19056 @item Multiple crossposts
19057 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
19058 more than, say, 3 groups:
19061 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
19065 @item Matching on the body
19066 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
19067 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
19068 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
19069 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
19070 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
19071 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
19072 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
19075 @item Marking as read
19076 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
19077 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
19078 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
19082 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
19084 @item Negated character classes
19085 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
19086 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
19087 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
19091 @node Reverse Scoring
19092 @section Reverse Scoring
19093 @cindex reverse scoring
19095 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
19096 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
19097 like this in your score file:
19101 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
19106 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
19107 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
19110 @node Global Score Files
19111 @section Global Score Files
19112 @cindex global score files
19114 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
19115 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
19116 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
19118 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
19119 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
19120 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
19122 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
19123 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
19124 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
19125 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
19126 files are applicable to which group.
19128 To use the score file
19129 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
19130 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
19134 (setq gnus-global-score-files
19135 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
19136 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
19139 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
19141 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
19142 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
19143 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
19144 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
19146 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
19147 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
19149 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
19150 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
19151 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
19152 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
19153 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
19154 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
19156 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
19162 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
19164 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
19166 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
19168 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
19169 lowered out of existence.
19171 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
19172 articles completely.
19175 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
19176 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
19177 old articles for a long time.
19180 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
19181 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
19182 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
19183 holding our breath yet?
19187 @section Kill Files
19190 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
19191 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
19192 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
19194 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
19195 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
19196 files into score files.
19198 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
19199 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
19200 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
19201 that isn't a very good idea.
19203 Normal kill files look like this:
19206 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19207 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
19211 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
19212 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
19214 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
19215 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
19218 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
19223 @kindex M-k (Summary)
19224 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
19225 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
19228 @kindex M-K (Summary)
19229 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
19230 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
19233 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
19238 @kindex M-k (Group)
19239 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
19240 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
19243 @kindex M-K (Group)
19244 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
19245 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
19248 Kill file variables:
19251 @item gnus-kill-file-name
19252 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
19253 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
19254 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
19255 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
19256 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
19257 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
19259 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19260 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19261 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
19262 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
19265 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
19266 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
19267 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
19268 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
19269 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
19270 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
19271 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
19272 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
19273 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
19275 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19276 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19277 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
19282 @node Converting Kill Files
19283 @section Converting Kill Files
19285 @cindex converting kill files
19287 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
19288 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
19289 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
19292 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
19293 You can fetch it from
19294 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
19296 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
19297 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
19298 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
19306 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
19307 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
19308 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
19309 news articles generated every day.
19311 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
19312 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
19313 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
19314 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
19315 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
19316 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
19317 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
19318 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
19321 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
19322 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
19325 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
19326 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
19327 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
19328 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
19332 @node Using GroupLens
19333 @subsection Using GroupLens
19335 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
19337 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
19338 better bit in town at the moment.
19340 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
19344 @item gnus-use-grouplens
19345 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
19346 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
19347 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
19349 @item grouplens-pseudonym
19350 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
19351 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
19352 with the Better Bit Bureau.
19354 @item grouplens-newsgroups
19355 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
19356 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
19360 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
19361 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
19362 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
19363 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
19364 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
19365 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
19368 @node Rating Articles
19369 @subsection Rating Articles
19371 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
19372 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
19373 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
19374 yourself is, ``on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
19377 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
19382 @kindex r (GroupLens)
19383 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
19384 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
19387 @kindex k (GroupLens)
19388 @findex grouplens-score-thread
19389 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
19390 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
19391 threads in rec.humor.
19395 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
19396 the score of the article you're reading.
19401 @kindex n (GroupLens)
19402 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
19403 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
19406 @kindex , (GroupLens)
19407 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
19408 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
19412 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
19413 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
19416 @node Displaying Predictions
19417 @subsection Displaying Predictions
19419 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
19420 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
19421 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
19422 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
19423 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
19425 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
19426 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
19427 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
19428 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
19429 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
19430 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
19431 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
19432 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
19433 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
19434 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
19435 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
19436 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
19437 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
19439 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
19440 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
19441 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
19442 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
19444 The following are valid values for that variable.
19447 @item prediction-spot
19448 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
19451 @item confidence-interval
19452 A numeric confidence interval.
19454 @item prediction-bar
19455 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
19457 @item confidence-bar
19458 Numerical confidence.
19460 @item confidence-spot
19461 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
19463 @item prediction-num
19464 Plain-old numeric value.
19466 @item confidence-plus-minus
19467 Prediction +/- confidence.
19472 @node GroupLens Variables
19473 @subsection GroupLens Variables
19477 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
19478 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
19479 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
19480 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
19483 @item grouplens-bbb-host
19484 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
19487 @item grouplens-bbb-port
19488 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
19490 @item grouplens-score-offset
19491 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
19492 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
19495 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
19496 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
19497 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
19502 @node Advanced Scoring
19503 @section Advanced Scoring
19505 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
19506 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
19507 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
19508 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
19509 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
19511 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
19515 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
19516 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
19517 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
19521 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
19522 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
19524 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
19525 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
19526 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
19527 non-@code{nil} value.
19529 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
19530 operator, and various match operators.
19537 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19538 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19539 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19544 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19545 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19546 then this operator will return @code{false}.
19551 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
19552 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19556 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19557 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19558 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19559 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19560 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19561 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19562 the ancestry you want to go.
19564 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19565 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19566 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19567 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19568 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19571 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19572 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19574 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19575 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19578 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19579 when he's talking about Gnus:
19583 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19584 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19590 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19594 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19601 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19602 really don't want to read what he's written:
19606 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19607 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19611 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19612 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19613 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19620 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19621 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19622 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19623 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19627 The possibilities are endless.
19630 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19631 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19633 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19634 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19635 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19636 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19637 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19638 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19639 @samp{subject}) first.
19641 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19642 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19653 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19654 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19660 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19667 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19668 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19673 @section Score Decays
19674 @cindex score decays
19677 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19678 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19679 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19680 use them in any sensible way.
19682 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19683 @findex gnus-decay-score
19684 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19685 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19686 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19687 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19688 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19689 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19690 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19691 definition of that function:
19694 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19696 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19697 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19700 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19702 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19704 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19707 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19708 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19709 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19710 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19714 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19717 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19720 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19724 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19725 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19726 the new score, which should be an integer.
19728 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19729 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19734 @include message.texi
19735 @chapter Emacs MIME
19736 @include emacs-mime.texi
19738 @include sieve.texi
19748 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19749 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19750 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19751 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19752 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19753 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19754 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19755 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19756 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19757 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19758 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19759 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19760 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19761 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19762 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19763 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19764 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19765 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19766 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19770 @node Process/Prefix
19771 @section Process/Prefix
19772 @cindex process/prefix convention
19774 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19775 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19777 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19778 command to be performed on.
19782 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19783 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19784 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19785 with the current one.
19787 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19788 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19789 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19791 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19792 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19795 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19796 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19798 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19801 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19802 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19803 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19804 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19806 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19807 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19808 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19809 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19810 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19811 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19812 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19813 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19815 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19816 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19817 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19818 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19819 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
19823 @section Interactive
19824 @cindex interaction
19828 @item gnus-novice-user
19829 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19830 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19831 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19832 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19833 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19836 @item gnus-expert-user
19837 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19838 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19839 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19840 matter how strange.
19842 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19843 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19844 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19845 is @code{t} by default.
19847 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19848 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19849 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19854 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19855 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19856 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19858 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19859 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19860 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19861 rule of 900 to the current article.
19863 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19864 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19865 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19866 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19867 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19868 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19869 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19871 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19872 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19873 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19874 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19875 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19876 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19877 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19878 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19879 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19881 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19882 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19883 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19885 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19889 @node Formatting Variables
19890 @section Formatting Variables
19891 @cindex formatting variables
19893 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19894 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19895 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19896 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19897 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19900 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19901 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19902 lots of percentages everywhere.
19905 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19906 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19907 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19908 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19909 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19910 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19911 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19912 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19915 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19916 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19917 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19918 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19919 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19920 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19921 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19922 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19924 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19925 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19927 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19928 @findex gnus-update-format
19929 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19930 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19931 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19932 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19936 @node Formatting Basics
19937 @subsection Formatting Basics
19939 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19940 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19941 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19943 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19944 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19945 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19946 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19947 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19950 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19951 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19952 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19953 less than 4 characters wide.
19955 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19956 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19959 @node Mode Line Formatting
19960 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19962 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19963 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19964 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19965 with the following two differences:
19970 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19973 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19974 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19975 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19976 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19977 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19978 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19979 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19984 @node Advanced Formatting
19985 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19987 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19988 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19989 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19990 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19992 These are the valid modifiers:
19997 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20001 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20006 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20009 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20014 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20017 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20020 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20023 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20029 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20034 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20035 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20036 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20037 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20038 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20039 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20040 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20042 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20043 last operation, padding.
20045 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
20046 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
20047 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
20048 @xref{Compilation}.
20051 @node User-Defined Specs
20052 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20054 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20055 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20056 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20057 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20058 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20059 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20060 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20061 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20062 should protect against that.
20064 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20065 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20067 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20068 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20069 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20070 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20074 @node Formatting Fonts
20075 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20077 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20078 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20079 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20080 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20083 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20084 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20085 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20086 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20087 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20088 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20090 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20091 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
20092 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
20093 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
20094 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
20095 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
20096 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
20097 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
20098 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
20099 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
20101 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20104 ;; Create three face types.
20105 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20106 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20108 ;; We want the article count to be in
20109 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
20110 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
20111 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20113 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20114 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20116 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
20117 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20118 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20121 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20122 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20124 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20125 mode-line variables.
20127 @node Positioning Point
20128 @subsection Positioning Point
20130 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20131 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20132 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20134 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20136 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20137 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20138 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20140 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20141 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20142 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20147 @subsection Tabulation
20149 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20150 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20151 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20152 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20154 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
20155 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20157 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20158 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20159 This is the soft tabulator.
20161 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20162 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20163 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20166 @node Wide Characters
20167 @subsection Wide Characters
20169 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20170 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20171 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20173 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20174 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20175 these countries, that's not true.
20177 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20178 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20179 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20180 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20184 @node Window Layout
20185 @section Window Layout
20186 @cindex window layout
20188 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20190 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20191 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20192 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20193 @code{t} by default.
20195 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20196 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20198 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20199 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20200 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20203 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20204 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20205 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20209 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20210 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20211 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20212 possible names is listed below.
20214 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20215 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20218 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20222 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20223 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20224 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20225 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20226 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20227 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20228 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20229 size spec per split.
20231 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20232 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20233 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20234 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20235 present) gets focus.
20237 Here's a more complicated example:
20240 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
20241 (summary 0.25 point)
20242 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
20246 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
20247 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
20248 occupy, not a percentage.
20250 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
20251 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
20252 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
20253 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
20254 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
20257 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
20260 (article (horizontal 1.0
20265 (summary 0.25 point)
20270 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20271 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20273 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20274 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
20275 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
20276 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
20277 the screen is to be given to this strip.
20279 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
20280 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
20281 lines from the splits.
20283 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
20287 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
20288 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
20289 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
20290 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
20291 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
20292 size = number | frame-params
20293 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
20296 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
20297 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
20298 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
20299 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
20301 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
20302 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
20303 @cindex window height
20304 @cindex window width
20305 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
20306 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
20307 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
20308 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
20309 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
20310 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
20312 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
20313 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
20314 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
20315 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
20317 @findex gnus-configure-frame
20318 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
20319 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
20320 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
20321 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
20322 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
20323 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
20324 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
20325 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
20326 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
20327 configuration list.
20330 (gnus-configure-frame
20334 (article 0.3 point))
20342 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
20343 @code{frame} split:
20346 (gnus-configure-frame
20349 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
20351 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
20352 (user-position . t)
20353 (left . -1) (top . 1))
20358 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
20359 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
20360 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
20361 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
20362 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
20363 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
20364 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
20365 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
20367 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
20368 be found in its default value.
20370 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
20371 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
20372 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
20376 (message (horizontal 1.0
20377 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
20379 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
20384 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
20385 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
20386 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
20391 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
20392 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
20393 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
20394 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
20395 (name . "Message"))
20396 (message 1.0 point))))
20399 @findex gnus-add-configuration
20400 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
20401 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
20402 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
20403 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
20406 (gnus-add-configuration
20407 '(article (vertical 1.0
20409 (summary .25 point)
20413 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
20414 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
20415 Gnus has been loaded.
20417 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
20418 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
20419 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
20420 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
20421 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
20423 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
20424 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
20425 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
20428 @subsection Example Window Configurations
20432 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
20433 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
20448 (gnus-add-configuration
20451 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20453 (summary 0.16 point)
20456 (gnus-add-configuration
20459 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20460 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
20466 @node Faces and Fonts
20467 @section Faces and Fonts
20472 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
20473 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
20474 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
20479 @section Compilation
20480 @cindex compilation
20481 @cindex byte-compilation
20483 @findex gnus-compile
20485 Remember all those line format specification variables?
20486 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
20487 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
20488 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
20489 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
20490 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
20493 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
20494 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
20495 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
20496 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
20497 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
20498 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
20499 them into the @file{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
20503 @section Mode Lines
20506 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
20507 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
20508 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
20509 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
20510 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
20511 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
20512 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
20515 @cindex display-time
20517 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
20518 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
20519 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
20520 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
20521 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
20522 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
20523 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
20524 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
20527 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
20529 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
20530 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
20532 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
20533 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
20534 (length display-time-string)))))
20537 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
20538 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
20539 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
20540 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
20541 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
20544 @node Highlighting and Menus
20545 @section Highlighting and Menus
20547 @cindex highlighting
20550 @vindex gnus-visual
20551 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
20552 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
20553 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20556 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20557 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20560 @item group-highlight
20561 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20562 @item summary-highlight
20563 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20564 @item article-highlight
20565 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20567 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20569 Create menus in the group buffer.
20571 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20573 Create menus in the article buffer.
20575 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20577 Create menus in the server buffer.
20579 Create menus in the score buffers.
20581 Create menus in all buffers.
20584 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20585 buffers, you could say something like:
20588 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20591 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20594 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20597 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20598 in all Gnus buffers.
20600 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20603 @item gnus-mouse-face
20604 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20605 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20606 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20610 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20614 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20615 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20616 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20618 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20619 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20620 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20622 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20623 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20624 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20626 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20627 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20628 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20630 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20631 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20632 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20634 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20635 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20636 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20647 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20648 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20649 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20650 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20651 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20655 @vindex gnus-carpal
20656 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20657 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20658 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20663 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20664 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20665 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20667 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20668 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20669 Face used on buttons.
20671 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20672 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20673 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20675 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20676 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20677 Buttons in the group buffer.
20679 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20680 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20681 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20683 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20684 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20685 Buttons in the server buffer.
20687 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20688 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20689 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20692 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20693 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20694 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20702 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20703 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20704 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20705 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20706 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20708 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20709 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20710 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20712 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20713 been idle for thirty minutes:
20716 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20719 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20723 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20726 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20727 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20728 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20730 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20731 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20732 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20733 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20735 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20736 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20737 @var{idle} minutes.
20739 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20740 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20743 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20744 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20745 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20747 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20748 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20749 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20750 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20752 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20753 your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20755 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20757 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20760 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20761 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20762 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20763 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20764 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20765 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20766 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20767 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20768 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20769 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20770 @file{.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
20772 @findex gnus-demon-init
20773 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20774 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20775 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20776 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20777 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20779 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20780 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20781 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20790 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20791 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20793 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20794 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20795 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20796 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20799 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20800 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20801 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20802 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20804 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20805 this will make spam disappear.
20807 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20810 @item gnus-use-nocem
20811 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20812 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20815 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20816 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20817 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20818 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20819 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20821 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20822 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20823 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20824 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20825 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20826 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20828 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20829 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20831 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20832 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20833 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20834 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20835 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20836 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20837 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20838 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20839 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20840 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20842 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20843 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20846 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20849 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20850 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20853 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20856 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20859 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20860 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20862 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20863 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20864 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20865 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20867 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20868 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20871 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20873 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20881 This might be dangerous, though.
20883 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20884 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20885 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20886 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20888 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20889 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20890 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20891 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20892 might then see old spam.
20894 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20895 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20896 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20897 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20898 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20901 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20902 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20903 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20904 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20908 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20909 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20910 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20911 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20918 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20919 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20920 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20922 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20923 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20924 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20925 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20926 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20927 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20928 @code{undo} function.
20930 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20931 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20932 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20933 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20934 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20935 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20936 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20937 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20938 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20939 never be totally undoable.
20941 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20942 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20944 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20945 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20946 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20947 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20951 @node Predicate Specifiers
20952 @section Predicate Specifiers
20953 @cindex predicate specifiers
20955 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20956 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20957 to type all that much.
20959 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20964 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20965 gnus-article-unread-p)
20968 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20969 functions all take one parameter.
20971 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20972 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20973 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20974 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20979 @section Moderation
20982 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20983 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20984 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20987 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20991 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20994 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20996 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21001 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21002 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21003 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21006 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21007 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21010 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21011 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21015 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21018 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21019 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21023 @node Image Enhancements
21024 @section Image Enhancements
21026 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
21027 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
21030 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21031 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21032 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21033 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21046 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
21047 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
21048 over your shoulder as you read news.
21050 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
21059 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
21060 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
21061 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
21062 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
21063 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
21064 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
21065 @code{GIF} formats.
21068 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21069 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
21070 point your Web browser at
21071 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
21073 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
21074 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
21076 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
21077 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
21080 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
21084 @item gnus-picon-databases
21085 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21086 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
21087 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
21088 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
21089 "/usr/local/faces")}.
21091 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
21092 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
21093 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21094 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
21096 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
21097 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
21098 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
21099 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
21101 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
21102 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
21103 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21104 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
21105 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
21107 @item gnus-picon-file-types
21108 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
21109 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
21110 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your Emacs.
21115 @subsection Smileys
21120 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
21125 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
21126 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
21128 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
21129 @file{.gnus.el} file:
21132 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
21135 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
21136 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
21137 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
21138 text and maps that to file names.
21140 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
21141 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
21142 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
21143 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
21144 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
21147 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
21152 @item smiley-data-directory
21153 @vindex smiley-data-directory
21154 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
21156 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
21157 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
21158 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
21167 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21168 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21169 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21173 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21174 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
21175 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21176 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21184 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21185 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21186 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21187 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21189 The variable that controls this is the
21190 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21191 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21192 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21193 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21194 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21196 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21197 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21198 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21199 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21202 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21203 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21204 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21205 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21206 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21207 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21208 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21209 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21211 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21214 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21215 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21217 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21218 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21219 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21220 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21221 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21222 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21223 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21224 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21225 header data as a string.
21227 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21228 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21229 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21230 randomly generated data.
21232 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21233 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21234 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21235 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21236 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21238 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21239 like the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
21242 (setq message-required-news-headers
21243 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21244 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21247 Using the last function would be something like this:
21250 (setq message-required-news-headers
21251 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21252 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21253 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21254 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21259 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
21262 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21263 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21264 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
21265 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
21266 unusual directory structure.
21268 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21269 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21270 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
21271 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
21273 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21274 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21275 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
21276 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
21277 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
21278 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
21280 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21281 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21282 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21287 @subsubsection Toolbar
21291 @item gnus-use-toolbar
21292 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
21293 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
21294 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
21295 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
21297 @item gnus-group-toolbar
21298 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
21299 The toolbar in the group buffer.
21301 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
21302 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
21303 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
21305 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21306 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21307 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
21318 @node Fuzzy Matching
21319 @section Fuzzy Matching
21320 @cindex fuzzy matching
21322 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21323 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21325 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21326 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21327 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21329 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21330 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21331 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21332 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21333 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21336 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21337 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21341 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21343 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21344 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21345 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21346 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21347 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21348 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21349 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21350 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21353 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21354 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21355 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21356 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21357 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21358 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21360 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21363 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21364 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21365 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21366 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21367 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
21368 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
21371 @node The problem of spam
21372 @subsection The problem of spam
21374 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21375 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21377 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21379 First, some background on spam.
21381 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21382 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21383 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21384 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21385 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21386 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21387 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21388 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21390 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21391 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21392 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21393 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21394 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21395 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21396 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21397 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21398 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21401 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21402 spam messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21403 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21404 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21405 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21406 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21407 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21408 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21409 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21410 mail can be useful.
21412 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21413 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21414 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21415 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21416 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21417 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21418 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21419 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21420 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21422 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21423 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21424 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21425 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21426 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21427 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21428 because of the incident.
21430 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21431 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21432 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21433 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21434 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21435 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21436 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21437 to store the database of spam analyses.
21439 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21440 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21444 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21446 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21447 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21449 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21450 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21451 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21452 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21453 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21454 part of the mail address.)
21457 (setq message-default-news-headers
21458 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21461 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21462 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21467 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21468 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21469 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21475 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21476 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21477 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21478 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21480 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21481 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21482 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21483 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21484 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21485 your fancy split rule in this way:
21490 (to "larsi" "misc")
21494 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21495 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21496 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21497 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21498 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21500 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21501 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21502 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21503 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21504 cosmic balance somewhat.
21506 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21507 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21508 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21509 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21514 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21515 @cindex SpamAssassin
21516 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21519 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21520 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21521 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21522 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21523 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21524 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21525 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21527 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21528 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21529 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21530 Specifiers}) follows.
21534 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21537 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21540 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21541 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21542 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21545 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21549 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21552 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21553 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21557 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21558 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21559 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21560 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21563 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21565 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21567 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21568 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21570 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21572 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21573 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21577 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21578 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21579 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21582 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21583 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21585 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21586 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21587 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21591 @subsection Hashcash
21594 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21595 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21596 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21597 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
21598 in smaller communities.
21600 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21601 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21602 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21603 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21604 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21605 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21606 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21607 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21608 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21609 one of them separately.
21612 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21613 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21614 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21615 header. For more details, and for the external application
21616 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21617 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21618 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21620 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21624 (require 'hashcash)
21625 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21628 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21629 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21630 development contrib directory.
21632 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21636 @item hashcash-default-payment
21637 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21638 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21639 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21640 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21642 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21643 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21644 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21645 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
21646 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
21647 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
21648 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
21649 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
21650 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21654 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21658 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21659 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21660 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21661 a useful contribution, however.
21663 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
21664 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
21665 @cindex spam filtering
21668 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21669 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21670 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
21671 @emph{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
21674 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21675 the following keyboard commands:
21685 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21686 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
21688 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
21689 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21690 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
21691 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
21697 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21698 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
21700 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
21706 Also, when you load @code{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
21707 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
21710 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
21711 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
21712 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
21713 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
21714 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
21715 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
21716 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
21717 will be detected later.
21719 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
21720 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
21721 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
21722 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
21723 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
21724 by customizing the corresponding variable
21725 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
21726 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
21727 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
21728 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
21729 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
21730 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
21731 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
21734 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
21735 they get the @samp{$} mark when you enter the group. You must review
21736 these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{$} mark for
21737 every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{$}
21738 mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or @kbd{d} for
21739 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
21740 spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
21741 will study them as spam samples.
21743 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21744 @code{spam-ham-marks} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and
21745 @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
21746 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
21747 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
21748 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
21749 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
21750 should then adjust the @code{spam-ham-marks} variable.
21752 @defvar spam-ham-marks
21753 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21754 consider ham. By default, the list contains the deleted, read,
21755 killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
21758 @defvar spam-spam-marks
21759 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21760 consider spam. By default, the list contains only the spam mark.
21763 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
21764 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
21765 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
21766 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
21767 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
21768 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
21771 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
21772 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
21773 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
21774 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
21775 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
21776 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
21777 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
21778 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with
21779 @code{customize-variable gnus-ham-process-destinations}). The ultimate
21780 location is a group name. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
21781 parameter is not set, spam articles are only expired.
21783 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
21784 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
21786 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
21787 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
21788 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
21789 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
21790 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
21791 customize this variable with @code{customize-variable
21792 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). The ultimate location is a group
21793 name. If the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set,
21794 the spam articles are only expired.
21796 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21797 must add the following to your fancy split list
21798 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21804 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21805 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21806 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21808 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
21809 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21810 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
21811 but you can customize it.
21813 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
21815 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
21816 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
21817 the headers. By default, the nnimap backend will only retrieve the
21818 message headers. If you use spam-check-bogofilter, spam-check-ifile,
21819 or spam-check-stat (the splitters that can benefit from the full
21820 message body), you should set this variable. It is not set by default
21821 because it will slow IMAP down.
21823 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
21825 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
21826 into a backend. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
21827 longer spam or ham.}
21829 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
21830 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
21833 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21834 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
21837 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21838 * BBDB Whitelists::
21840 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
21842 * ifile spam filtering::
21843 * spam-stat spam filtering::
21844 * Extending the spam elisp package::
21847 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21848 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21849 @cindex spam filtering
21850 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21851 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21854 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21856 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
21857 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
21858 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
21859 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
21864 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21866 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
21867 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
21868 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
21869 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
21870 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
21874 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
21876 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
21877 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
21878 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
21882 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
21884 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21885 customizing the group parameters or the
21886 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21887 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21888 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
21892 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
21894 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21895 customizing the group parameters or the
21896 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21897 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21898 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21899 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21900 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21904 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21905 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21906 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21907 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
21908 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21910 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21911 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
21912 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
21913 Emacs regular expression syntax.
21915 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
21916 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
21917 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
21918 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
21919 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21920 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21922 @node BBDB Whitelists
21923 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21924 @cindex spam filtering
21925 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21926 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21929 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
21931 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21932 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
21933 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
21934 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
21935 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
21936 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
21937 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
21941 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
21943 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
21944 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
21945 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
21946 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
21947 classified as spammers.
21951 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
21953 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21954 customizing the group parameters or the
21955 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21956 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21957 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21958 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21959 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21964 @subsubsection Blackholes
21965 @cindex spam filtering
21966 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21969 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21971 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
21972 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
21973 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
21974 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
21975 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
21976 contains outdated servers.
21978 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
21979 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
21980 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil. It is not recommended at this
21981 time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil despite the possible
21982 performance improvements, because some users may be unable to use it,
21983 but you can try it and see if it works for you.
21987 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
21989 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
21993 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
21995 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
21996 blackhole server list. When set to nil, it has no effect.
22000 @defvar spam-use-dig
22002 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
22003 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
22007 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
22008 ham processor for blackholes.
22010 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
22011 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
22012 @cindex spam filtering
22013 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
22016 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
22018 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
22019 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
22020 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
22021 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
22022 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
22023 message is spam or ham, respectively.
22027 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
22029 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22030 the message, positively identify it as spam.
22034 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
22036 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22037 the message, positively identify it as ham.
22041 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
22042 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
22045 @subsubsection Bogofilter
22046 @cindex spam filtering
22047 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
22050 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
22052 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22055 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
22056 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
22057 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
22058 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
22059 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
22060 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
22062 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on an internal
22063 threshold, set at compilation time. That threshold can't be
22066 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
22067 processing will be turned off.
22069 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
22073 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
22075 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22076 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
22077 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
22078 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
22079 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
22080 installation documents for details.
22082 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
22086 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
22087 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22088 customizing the group parameters or the
22089 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22090 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
22091 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
22094 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
22095 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22096 customizing the group parameters or the
22097 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22098 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22099 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
22100 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22101 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22104 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
22106 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
22107 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
22108 database directory.
22112 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to ifile in intent and
22113 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22114 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
22115 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
22116 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
22117 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
22119 @node ifile spam filtering
22120 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
22121 @cindex spam filtering
22122 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
22125 @defvar spam-use-ifile
22127 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use ifile, a
22128 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
22132 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
22134 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
22135 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
22136 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
22140 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
22142 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
22143 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
22144 the default value of @samp{spam}.
22147 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
22149 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
22150 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
22154 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
22155 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22156 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
22157 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
22160 @node spam-stat spam filtering
22161 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
22162 @cindex spam filtering
22163 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
22167 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
22169 @defvar spam-use-stat
22171 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
22172 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
22176 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
22177 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22178 customizing the group parameters or the
22179 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22180 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
22181 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
22184 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
22185 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22186 customizing the group parameters or the
22187 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22188 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22189 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
22190 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22191 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22194 This enables spam.el to cooperate with spam-stat.el. spam-stat.el
22195 provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database, which unlike ifile or
22196 Bogofilter does not require external programs. A spam and a ham
22197 processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for @code{spam-split}
22200 @node Extending the spam elisp package
22201 @subsubsection Extending the spam elisp package
22202 @cindex spam filtering
22203 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
22204 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
22206 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
22207 incoming mail, provide the following:
22215 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
22216 "True if blackbox should be used.")
22221 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
22223 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
22228 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
22229 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
22230 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
22232 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
22233 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
22234 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
22238 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
22245 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
22246 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
22249 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
22250 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
22251 Only applicable to spam groups.")
22253 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
22254 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
22255 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
22263 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
22264 (spam-generic-register-routine
22265 ;; the spam function
22267 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22268 (when (stringp from)
22269 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
22270 ;; the ham function
22273 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
22274 (spam-generic-register-routine
22275 ;; the spam function
22277 ;; the ham function
22279 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22280 (when (stringp from)
22281 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
22284 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
22285 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
22286 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
22287 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
22288 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
22289 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
22294 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22295 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22296 @cindex Paul Graham
22297 @cindex Graham, Paul
22298 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
22299 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
22300 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
22302 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
22303 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
22304 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
22305 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
22306 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
22307 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
22308 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
22309 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
22310 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
22313 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
22314 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
22315 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
22316 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
22317 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
22318 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
22319 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
22320 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
22322 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
22323 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
22324 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
22325 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
22326 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
22329 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
22330 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
22331 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
22334 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22335 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22337 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
22338 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
22339 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
22340 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
22341 need several hundred emails in both collections.
22343 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
22344 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
22345 per mail. Use the following:
22347 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
22348 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
22349 is treated as one spam mail.
22352 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
22353 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
22354 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
22357 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
22358 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
22359 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
22360 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
22361 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
22362 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
22364 When you are using IMAP, you won't have the mails available locally,
22365 so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent to cache
22366 the articles. Then you can use directories such as
22367 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
22368 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
22371 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
22372 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
22373 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
22374 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
22377 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
22378 reset the dictionary.
22380 @defun spam-stat-reset
22381 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
22384 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
22385 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
22386 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
22387 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
22388 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
22389 only non-spam mails.
22391 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
22392 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
22393 to update the dictionary incrementally.
22396 @defun spam-stat-save
22397 Save the dictionary.
22400 @defvar spam-stat-file
22401 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
22402 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
22405 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
22406 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
22408 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
22409 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22412 (require 'spam-stat)
22416 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
22419 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
22420 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
22421 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
22422 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
22424 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
22425 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
22426 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
22427 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
22430 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22431 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22435 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
22436 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
22439 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
22440 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
22441 expression are considered potential spam.
22444 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22445 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22446 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22450 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
22451 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
22452 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
22453 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
22454 mails, when creating the dictionary!
22457 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22458 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22459 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22463 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
22464 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
22465 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
22466 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
22467 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
22471 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22472 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
22473 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22474 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22479 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22480 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22482 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
22484 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
22485 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
22486 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22489 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
22490 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
22491 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22494 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
22495 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
22496 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
22497 already been processed as non-spam.
22500 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
22501 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
22502 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
22503 been processed as spam.
22506 @defun spam-stat-save
22507 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
22508 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22511 @defun spam-stat-load
22512 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
22513 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22516 @defun spam-stat-score-word
22517 Return the spam score for a word.
22520 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
22521 Return the spam score for a buffer.
22524 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
22525 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
22526 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22529 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
22530 following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22533 (require 'spam-stat)
22537 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
22540 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22541 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22542 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22543 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22544 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22545 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22546 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22547 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22548 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22549 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22550 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22551 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22552 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22553 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22556 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
22559 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22560 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22561 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22562 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
22563 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22564 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22567 @node Various Various
22568 @section Various Various
22574 @item gnus-home-directory
22575 @vindex gnus-home-directory
22576 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
22577 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
22579 @item gnus-directory
22580 @vindex gnus-directory
22581 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
22582 this variable, which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment
22583 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
22585 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
22586 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
22587 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
22588 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
22590 @item gnus-default-directory
22591 @vindex gnus-default-directory
22592 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
22593 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
22594 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
22595 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
22596 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
22597 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
22600 @vindex gnus-verbose
22601 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
22602 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
22603 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
22604 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
22605 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
22607 @item gnus-verbose-backends
22608 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
22609 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
22610 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
22612 @item nnheader-max-head-length
22613 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
22614 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
22615 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
22616 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
22617 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
22618 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
22619 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
22620 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
22621 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
22623 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
22624 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
22625 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
22626 read when doing the operation described above.
22628 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22629 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22631 @cindex invalid characters in file names
22632 @cindex characters in file names
22633 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
22634 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
22635 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
22638 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22642 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
22643 Windows (phooey) systems.
22645 @item gnus-hidden-properties
22646 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
22647 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
22648 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
22649 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
22651 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
22652 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
22653 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
22654 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
22655 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
22657 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
22658 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
22659 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
22661 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22662 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22664 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
22665 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
22666 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
22667 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
22670 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
22678 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
22679 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
22681 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
22683 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
22689 Not because of victories @*
22692 but for the common sunshine,@*
22694 the largess of the spring.
22698 but for the day's work done@*
22699 as well as I was able;@*
22700 not for a seat upon the dais@*
22701 but at the common table.@*
22706 @chapter Appendices
22709 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
22710 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
22711 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
22712 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
22713 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
22714 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
22715 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
22716 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
22717 * Frequently Asked Questions::
22724 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
22726 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
22727 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
22728 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
22729 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
22730 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
22731 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
22738 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22739 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22741 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22742 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22743 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22744 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22745 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22747 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22748 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22749 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22750 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22751 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22752 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22754 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22755 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22756 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22757 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22760 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22761 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22762 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22763 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22764 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22765 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22766 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22767 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22768 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22772 @node Gnus Versions
22773 @subsection Gnus Versions
22775 @cindex September Gnus
22777 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22778 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22782 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22783 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22784 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22786 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22787 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22789 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22790 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22792 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22793 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22795 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22796 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22799 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22801 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22802 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22803 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22804 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22805 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22806 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22809 @node Other Gnus Versions
22810 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22813 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22814 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22815 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22816 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22818 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22819 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22820 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22821 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22828 What's the point of Gnus?
22830 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22831 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22832 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22833 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22834 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22835 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22836 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22837 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22838 keep track of millions of people who post?
22840 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22841 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22842 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22843 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22844 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22845 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22846 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22847 every one of you to explore and invent.
22849 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22850 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22853 @node Compatibility
22854 @subsection Compatibility
22856 @cindex compatibility
22857 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22858 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22859 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22864 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22868 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22871 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22874 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22875 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22876 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22877 important variables have their values copied into their global
22878 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22879 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22881 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22882 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22883 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22884 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22885 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22889 @cindex highlighting
22890 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22891 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22892 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22893 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22894 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22895 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22898 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22899 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22900 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22901 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22903 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22904 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22905 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22906 to stop doing it the old way.
22908 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22910 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22912 @cindex reporting bugs
22914 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22915 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22916 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22918 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22919 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22920 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22921 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22926 @subsection Conformity
22928 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22929 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22937 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22941 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22943 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22944 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22945 We do have some breaches to this one.
22951 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22952 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22953 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22954 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22955 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22960 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22961 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22962 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22963 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22965 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22967 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22969 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22970 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22972 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22975 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22976 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22977 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22978 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22979 decoding (verification and decryption).
22981 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22982 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22983 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22984 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22986 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22987 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22989 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22990 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22991 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22992 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22993 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22994 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22995 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
22999 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
23000 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
23005 @subsection Emacsen
23011 Gnus should work on :
23019 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
23023 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
23024 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
23027 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
23028 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
23029 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
23033 @node Gnus Development
23034 @subsection Gnus Development
23036 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
23037 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
23038 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
23039 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
23040 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
23041 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
23042 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
23043 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
23045 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
23046 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
23047 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
23048 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
23049 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
23052 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
23053 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
23054 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
23055 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
23056 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
23058 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
23059 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
23060 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
23061 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
23062 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
23063 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
23064 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
23065 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
23066 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
23067 can't be assumed to do so.
23072 @subsection Contributors
23073 @cindex contributors
23075 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
23076 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
23077 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
23078 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
23079 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
23080 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
23081 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
23082 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
23083 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
23084 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
23086 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
23092 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
23095 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
23096 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
23097 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
23098 functionality and stuff.
23101 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
23102 well as numerous other things).
23105 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
23108 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
23111 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
23114 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
23117 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
23118 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
23121 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
23124 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
23125 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23128 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
23131 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
23134 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
23137 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
23140 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
23141 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
23144 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
23147 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
23150 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
23153 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
23157 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
23160 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
23163 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
23166 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
23167 well as autoconf support.
23171 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
23172 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
23174 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
23183 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
23187 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
23197 Alexei V. Barantsev,
23212 Massimo Campostrini,
23217 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
23218 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
23222 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
23225 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
23231 Michael Welsh Duggan,
23236 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
23240 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
23248 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
23250 Michelangelo Grigni,
23254 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
23256 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
23258 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
23265 François Felix Ingrand,
23266 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
23267 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
23269 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
23280 Peter Skov Knudsen,
23281 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
23283 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
23284 Thor Kristoffersen,
23287 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
23305 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
23306 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
23313 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
23318 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
23322 John McClary Prevost,
23328 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
23333 Christian von Roques,
23336 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
23343 Philippe Schnoebelen,
23345 Randal L. Schwartz,
23359 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
23364 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
23380 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
23385 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
23386 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
23387 (550kB and counting).
23389 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
23392 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
23393 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
23397 @subsection New Features
23398 @cindex new features
23401 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
23402 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
23403 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
23404 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
23405 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
23408 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
23409 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
23410 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
23413 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
23415 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
23420 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
23421 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
23424 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
23425 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
23428 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
23431 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
23432 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
23433 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
23436 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
23437 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
23438 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
23439 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23442 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
23443 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23446 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
23447 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
23448 (@pxref{The Active File}).
23451 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
23452 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
23455 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
23456 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
23457 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23460 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
23461 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
23462 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
23465 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus.el}) to avoid cluttering up
23466 the @file{.emacs} file.
23469 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
23470 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
23473 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
23474 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
23477 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
23478 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23481 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
23482 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
23485 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
23486 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23489 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
23492 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
23493 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
23496 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
23497 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
23500 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
23501 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
23504 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
23507 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
23508 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23511 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
23515 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
23519 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
23520 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
23523 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
23529 @node September Gnus
23530 @subsubsection September Gnus
23534 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
23538 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
23543 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
23544 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
23548 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
23549 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
23553 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
23557 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
23558 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
23561 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
23565 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23568 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
23571 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
23574 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
23578 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
23579 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
23582 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
23586 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
23590 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
23594 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
23598 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
23601 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
23602 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
23605 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
23609 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
23610 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
23613 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
23616 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
23617 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
23618 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23621 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
23625 The Gnus cache is much faster.
23628 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
23632 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
23633 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23636 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
23637 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
23640 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
23641 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
23644 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
23645 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
23646 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
23649 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
23650 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
23653 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
23656 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23659 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
23662 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
23665 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
23666 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
23669 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
23673 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
23676 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
23681 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
23684 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
23688 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23691 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
23695 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
23698 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
23701 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
23702 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23705 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
23706 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
23710 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
23711 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
23714 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
23718 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
23719 buffer to allow easier treatment.
23722 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
23725 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
23729 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23733 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23734 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23737 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23741 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23742 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23745 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23746 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23749 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23753 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23756 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23759 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23765 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23767 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23771 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23778 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23781 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23782 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23785 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23786 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23790 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23791 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23794 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23797 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23798 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23801 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23805 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23806 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23810 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23811 Server Internals}).
23814 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23818 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23821 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23822 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23825 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23826 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23827 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23830 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23831 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23834 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23835 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23838 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23842 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23843 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23846 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23847 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23850 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23854 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23857 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23861 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23862 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23865 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23866 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23869 A new command for reading collections of documents
23870 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23871 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23874 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23878 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23879 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23882 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23883 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23884 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23887 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23888 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23892 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23896 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23900 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23905 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23909 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23913 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23914 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23917 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23923 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23925 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23930 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23931 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23932 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23935 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23936 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23937 group, which is created automatically.
23940 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23944 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23947 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23948 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23951 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23955 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23958 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23959 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23962 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23965 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section ``Symbolic
23966 Prefixes'' in the Gnus manual for details.
23969 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23970 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
23973 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23974 control over simplification.
23977 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23980 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23984 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23987 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23990 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23991 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23992 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23995 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
23996 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
23999 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
24003 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
24004 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
24007 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
24008 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
24011 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
24015 A history of where mails have been split is available.
24018 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
24021 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
24022 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
24025 A new function for citing in Message has been
24026 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
24029 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
24032 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
24036 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
24037 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
24040 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
24041 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
24044 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
24047 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
24051 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
24052 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
24054 New features in Gnus 5.8:
24059 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
24060 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
24062 If you used procmail like in
24065 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
24066 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
24067 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
24068 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
24071 this now has changed to
24075 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
24079 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
24080 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
24083 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
24084 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
24087 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
24088 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
24091 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
24092 called to position point.
24095 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
24096 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
24099 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
24100 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
24103 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
24104 subtly different manner.
24107 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
24108 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
24109 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
24112 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
24120 @section The Manual
24124 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
24125 either @code{texi2dvi}
24127 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
24128 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
24130 to get what you hold in your hands now.
24132 The following conventions have been used:
24137 This is a @samp{string}
24140 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
24143 This is a @file{file}
24146 This is a @code{symbol}
24150 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
24154 (setq flargnoze "yes")
24157 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
24160 (setq flumphel 'yes)
24163 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
24164 ever get them confused.
24168 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
24169 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
24170 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
24171 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
24172 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
24173 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
24174 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
24180 @node On Writing Manuals
24181 @section On Writing Manuals
24183 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
24184 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
24185 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
24186 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
24187 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
24188 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
24191 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
24192 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
24193 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
24196 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
24197 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
24202 @section Terminology
24204 @cindex terminology
24209 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
24210 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
24211 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
24212 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
24213 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
24217 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
24218 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
24219 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
24220 not posting, and replying is not following up.
24224 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
24228 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
24233 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
24234 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
24235 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
24236 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
24237 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
24238 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
24239 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
24240 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
24241 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
24243 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
24244 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
24245 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
24246 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
24247 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
24250 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
24251 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
24252 access the articles.
24254 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
24255 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
24256 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
24261 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
24262 default, way of getting news.
24266 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
24267 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
24272 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
24273 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
24277 A message that has been posted as news.
24280 @cindex mail message
24281 A message that has been mailed.
24285 A mail message or news article
24289 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
24294 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
24299 A line from the head of an article.
24303 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
24304 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
24308 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
24309 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
24310 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
24311 normal @sc{head} format.
24315 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
24316 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
24317 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
24318 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
24319 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
24320 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
24322 @item killed groups
24323 @cindex killed groups
24324 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
24325 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
24327 @item zombie groups
24328 @cindex zombie groups
24329 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
24332 @cindex active file
24333 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
24334 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
24335 is rather large, as you might surmise.
24338 @cindex bogus groups
24339 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
24340 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
24341 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
24344 @cindex activating groups
24345 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
24346 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
24347 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
24351 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
24353 @item select method
24354 @cindex select method
24355 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
24358 @item virtual server
24359 @cindex virtual server
24360 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
24361 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
24362 whole is a virtual server.
24366 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
24367 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
24370 @item ephemeral groups
24371 @cindex ephemeral groups
24372 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
24373 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
24374 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
24377 @cindex solid groups
24378 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
24379 group buffer are solid groups.
24381 @item sparse articles
24382 @cindex sparse articles
24383 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
24384 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
24388 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
24389 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
24393 @cindex thread root
24394 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
24395 articles in the thread.
24399 An article that has responses.
24403 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
24407 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
24408 specified by RFC 1153.
24414 @node Customization
24415 @section Customization
24416 @cindex general customization
24418 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
24419 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
24420 for some quite common situations.
24423 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
24424 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
24425 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
24426 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
24430 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
24431 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
24433 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
24434 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
24435 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
24439 @item gnus-read-active-file
24440 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
24441 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
24442 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24443 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
24444 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
24446 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
24447 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
24448 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
24449 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
24453 @node Slow Terminal Connection
24454 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
24456 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
24457 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
24458 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
24462 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
24463 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
24464 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
24465 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
24466 horizontal and vertical recentering.
24468 @item gnus-visible-headers
24469 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
24470 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
24471 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
24472 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
24474 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
24476 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
24477 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
24478 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
24481 @item gnus-use-full-window
24482 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
24483 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
24484 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
24485 want to read them anyway.
24487 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
24488 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
24492 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
24493 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
24494 lines, which might save some time.
24498 @node Little Disk Space
24499 @subsection Little Disk Space
24502 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
24503 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
24507 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
24508 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
24509 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24510 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24513 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
24514 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
24515 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24516 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24519 @item gnus-save-killed-list
24520 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
24521 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
24522 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
24523 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
24529 @subsection Slow Machine
24530 @cindex slow machine
24532 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
24533 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
24535 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24536 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
24538 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
24539 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
24540 summary buffer faster.
24544 @node Troubleshooting
24545 @section Troubleshooting
24546 @cindex troubleshooting
24548 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
24556 Make sure your computer is switched on.
24559 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
24560 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
24564 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
24565 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
24566 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
24567 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
24570 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
24574 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
24575 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
24576 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
24577 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
24578 something like that.
24581 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
24584 @cindex reporting bugs
24586 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24588 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
24589 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
24590 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
24591 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
24593 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
24594 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
24595 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
24596 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
24599 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
24600 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
24601 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
24602 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
24603 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
24604 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
24606 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
24607 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
24608 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
24612 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
24613 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
24616 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
24617 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
24618 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
24619 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
24620 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
24621 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
24622 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
24623 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
24624 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
24625 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
24626 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
24627 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
24628 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
24629 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
24634 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
24635 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
24636 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-j} when things are
24637 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
24638 helps isolating the real problem areas). A fancier approach is to use
24639 the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is (or should be) fully
24640 documented elsewhere, but to get you started there are a few steps
24641 that need to be followed. First, instrument the part of Gnus you are
24642 interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET
24643 gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET message}. Then perform
24644 the operation that is slow and press @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will
24645 then see which operations that takes time, and can debug them further.
24646 If the entire operation takes much longer than the time spent in the
24647 slowest function in the profiler output, you probably profiled the
24648 wrong part of Gnus. To reset profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x
24649 elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove
24650 profiling, but given the complexities and dynamic code generation in
24651 Gnus, it might not always work perfectly.
24653 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
24654 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
24656 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
24657 @cindex ding mailing list
24658 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@email{ding@@gnus.org}.
24659 Write to @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
24663 @node Gnus Reference Guide
24664 @section Gnus Reference Guide
24666 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
24667 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
24668 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
24669 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
24672 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
24673 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
24674 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
24675 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
24676 and general methods of operation.
24679 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
24680 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
24681 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
24682 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
24683 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
24684 * Group Info:: The group info format.
24685 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
24686 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
24687 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
24691 @node Gnus Utility Functions
24692 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
24693 @cindex Gnus utility functions
24694 @cindex utility functions
24696 @cindex internal variables
24698 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
24699 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
24700 Below is a list of the most common ones.
24704 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
24705 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
24706 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
24708 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
24709 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
24710 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
24712 @item gnus-group-real-name
24713 @findex gnus-group-real-name
24714 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
24717 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
24718 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
24719 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
24720 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
24722 @item gnus-get-info
24723 @findex gnus-get-info
24724 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
24726 @item gnus-group-unread
24727 @findex gnus-group-unread
24728 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
24732 @findex gnus-active
24733 The active entry for @var{group}.
24735 @item gnus-set-active
24736 @findex gnus-set-active
24737 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
24739 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24740 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24741 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
24744 @item gnus-continuum-version
24745 @findex gnus-continuum-version
24746 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
24747 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
24750 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24751 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24752 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24754 @item gnus-news-group-p
24755 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24756 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24758 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24759 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24760 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24762 @item gnus-server-to-method
24763 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24764 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24766 @item gnus-server-equal
24767 @findex gnus-server-equal
24768 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24770 @item gnus-group-native-p
24771 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24772 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24774 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24775 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24776 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24778 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24779 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24780 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24782 @item group-group-find-parameter
24783 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24784 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24785 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24787 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24788 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24789 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24791 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24792 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24793 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24795 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24796 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24797 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24798 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24801 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24805 @item gnus-read-method
24806 @findex gnus-read-method
24807 Prompts the user for a select method.
24812 @node Back End Interface
24813 @subsection Back End Interface
24815 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24816 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24817 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24818 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24819 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24820 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24822 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24823 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24824 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24825 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24826 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24827 been opened, the function should fail.
24829 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24830 name. Take this example:
24834 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24835 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24838 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24839 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24841 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24842 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24843 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24845 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24846 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24847 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24849 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24850 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24851 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24852 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24853 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24854 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24857 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24858 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24859 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24860 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24863 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24864 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24865 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24866 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24867 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24868 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24869 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24870 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24871 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24872 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24874 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24875 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24876 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24877 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24878 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24879 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24880 of numbers as long as possible.
24882 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
24883 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
24884 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
24886 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24889 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24892 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24893 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24894 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24895 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24896 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24897 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24901 @node Required Back End Functions
24902 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24906 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24908 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24909 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24910 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24911 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24913 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24914 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24915 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24916 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24918 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
24919 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24920 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24921 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24922 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24923 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24924 number, do maximum fetches.
24926 Here's an example HEAD:
24929 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24930 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24931 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24932 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24933 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24934 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24935 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24937 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24938 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24939 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24943 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24944 these in the data buffer.
24946 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24950 head = error / valid-head
24951 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24952 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24953 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24954 header = <text> eol
24957 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24958 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24962 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24963 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
24964 field = <text except TAB>
24967 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24971 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24973 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24974 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24976 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24977 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24978 server. In fact, it should do so.
24980 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24981 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24984 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24986 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24987 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24990 There should be no data returned.
24993 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
24995 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
24996 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
24997 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
24998 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
25000 There should be no data returned.
25003 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
25005 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
25006 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
25007 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
25008 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
25010 There should be no data returned.
25013 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
25015 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
25017 There should be no data returned.
25020 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
25022 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
25023 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
25024 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
25025 it would be nice if that were possible.
25027 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
25028 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
25029 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
25030 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
25031 into its article buffer.
25033 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
25034 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
25035 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
25036 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
25037 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
25038 on successful article retrieval.
25041 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
25043 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
25044 making @var{group} the current group.
25046 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
25049 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
25052 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
25055 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
25056 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
25057 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
25058 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
25059 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
25060 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
25061 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
25062 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
25063 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
25067 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
25068 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
25069 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
25073 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
25075 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
25076 a no-op on most back ends.
25078 There should be no data returned.
25081 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
25083 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
25086 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
25089 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
25090 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
25093 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
25094 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
25095 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
25096 and the highest as 0.
25099 active-file = *active-line
25100 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
25102 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
25105 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
25106 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
25107 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
25110 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
25112 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
25113 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
25114 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
25115 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
25116 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
25117 clear if the posting could not be completed.
25119 There should be no result data from this function.
25124 @node Optional Back End Functions
25125 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
25129 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
25131 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
25132 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
25133 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
25135 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
25136 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
25137 former is in the same format as the data from
25138 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
25139 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
25142 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
25146 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
25148 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
25149 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
25150 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
25151 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
25152 should return a non-nil value.
25154 There should be no result data from this function.
25157 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
25159 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
25160 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
25161 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
25162 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
25163 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
25164 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
25165 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
25166 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
25168 There should be no result data from this function.
25171 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
25173 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
25174 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
25175 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
25176 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
25177 propagate the mark information to the server.
25179 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
25182 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
25185 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
25186 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
25187 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
25188 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
25189 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
25190 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
25191 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
25192 possible, not limit itself to these.
25194 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
25195 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
25196 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
25197 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
25199 An example action list:
25202 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
25203 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
25204 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
25207 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
25208 mark on (currently not used for anything).
25210 There should be no result data from this function.
25212 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
25214 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
25215 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
25216 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
25217 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
25218 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
25220 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
25221 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
25222 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
25225 There should be no result data from this function.
25228 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
25230 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
25231 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
25232 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
25233 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
25234 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
25235 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
25236 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
25238 There should be no result data from this function.
25241 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
25243 The result data from this function should be a description of
25247 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
25249 description = <text>
25252 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
25254 The result data from this function should be the description of all
25255 groups available on the server.
25258 description-buffer = *description-line
25262 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
25264 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
25265 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
25266 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
25267 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
25268 in the active buffer format.
25270 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
25271 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
25272 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
25273 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
25274 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
25275 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
25276 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
25279 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
25281 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
25283 There should be no return data.
25286 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
25288 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
25289 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
25290 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
25291 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
25292 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
25295 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
25298 There should be no result data returned.
25301 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
25303 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
25304 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
25306 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
25307 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
25308 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
25309 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
25310 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
25311 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
25313 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
25314 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
25317 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25318 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25320 There should be no data returned.
25323 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
25325 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
25326 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
25327 this function in short order.
25329 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25330 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25332 The group should exist before the backend is asked to accept the
25333 article for that group.
25335 There should be no data returned.
25338 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
25340 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
25341 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
25343 There should be no data returned.
25346 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
25348 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
25349 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
25350 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
25352 There should be no data returned.
25355 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
25357 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
25358 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
25360 There should be no data returned.
25365 @node Error Messaging
25366 @subsubsection Error Messaging
25368 @findex nnheader-report
25369 @findex nnheader-get-report
25370 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
25371 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
25372 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
25373 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
25374 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
25375 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
25378 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
25380 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
25383 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
25384 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
25385 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
25386 takes one argument---the server symbol.
25388 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
25389 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
25390 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
25393 @node Writing New Back Ends
25394 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
25396 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
25397 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
25398 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
25399 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
25400 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
25403 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
25404 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
25405 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
25407 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
25408 package called @code{nnoo}.
25410 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
25411 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
25417 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
25418 parameters. For instance:
25421 (nnoo-declare nndir
25425 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
25426 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
25429 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
25430 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
25431 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
25433 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
25434 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
25435 a function in those back ends.
25438 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25439 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25440 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25443 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
25444 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
25445 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
25447 @item nnoo-define-basics
25448 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
25452 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25456 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
25457 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
25458 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
25460 @item nnoo-map-functions
25461 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
25462 functions from the parent back ends.
25465 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25466 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25467 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
25470 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
25471 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
25472 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
25473 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
25476 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
25477 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
25478 haven't already been defined.
25484 nnmh-request-newgroups)
25488 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
25489 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
25490 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
25495 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
25498 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
25499 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
25503 (require 'nnheader)
25507 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
25509 (nnoo-declare nndir
25512 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25513 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25514 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25516 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
25517 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
25520 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
25522 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
25523 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
25524 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
25526 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
25527 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
25529 ;;; Interface functions.
25531 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25533 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
25534 (setq nndir-directory
25535 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
25537 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
25538 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
25539 (push `(nndir-current-group
25540 ,(file-name-nondirectory
25541 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25543 (push `(nndir-top-directory
25544 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25546 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
25548 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25549 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25550 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25551 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
25552 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
25556 nnmh-status-message
25558 nnmh-request-newgroups))
25564 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25565 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25567 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
25568 @findex gnus-declare-backend
25569 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
25570 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
25571 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
25573 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
25574 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
25579 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
25582 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
25584 The abilities can be:
25588 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
25590 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
25592 This back end supports both mail and news.
25594 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
25597 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
25598 articles and groups.
25600 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
25601 true for almost all back ends.
25602 @item prompt-address
25603 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
25604 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
25605 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
25609 @node Mail-like Back Ends
25610 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
25612 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
25613 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
25614 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
25615 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
25618 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
25619 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
25620 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
25623 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
25624 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
25627 This function takes four parameters.
25631 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
25634 @item exit-function
25635 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
25637 @item temp-directory
25638 Where the temporary files should be stored.
25641 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
25642 performed for one group only.
25645 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
25646 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
25647 find the article number assigned to this article.
25649 The function also uses the following variables:
25650 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
25651 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
25652 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
25653 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
25657 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
25658 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
25662 @node Score File Syntax
25663 @subsection Score File Syntax
25665 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
25666 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
25667 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
25669 Here's a typical score file:
25673 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
25680 BNF definition of a score file:
25683 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
25684 element = rule / atom
25685 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
25686 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
25687 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
25688 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
25690 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
25691 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
25692 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
25693 date-header = "date"
25694 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25695 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25696 score = "nil" / <integer>
25697 date = "nil" / <natural number>
25698 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
25699 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
25700 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
25701 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
25702 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25703 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25704 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
25705 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25706 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
25707 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
25708 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
25709 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
25710 exclude-files / read-only / touched
25711 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
25712 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
25713 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
25714 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
25715 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
25716 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
25717 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
25718 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
25719 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
25720 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
25721 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
25722 eval = "eval" space <form>
25723 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
25726 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
25729 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
25730 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
25731 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
25732 one looong line, then that's ok.
25734 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
25735 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25739 @subsection Headers
25741 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
25742 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
25743 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
25744 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
25746 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
25747 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
25748 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
25749 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
25750 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
25751 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
25752 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25754 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25755 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25756 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25757 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25758 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25760 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25761 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25767 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25768 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25770 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25771 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25772 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25773 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25775 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25779 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25782 is transformed into
25785 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25788 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25789 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25792 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25795 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25796 is slightly tricky:
25799 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25805 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25808 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25814 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25821 and is equal to the previous range.
25823 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25824 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25825 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25829 range = simple-range / normal-range
25830 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25831 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25832 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25833 number *[ " " contents ]
25836 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25837 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25838 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25839 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25840 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25845 @subsection Group Info
25847 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25848 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25849 describes the group.
25851 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25852 second is a more complex one:
25855 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25857 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25858 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25860 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25863 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25864 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25865 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25866 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25867 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25868 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25869 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25870 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25871 this section is about.
25873 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25874 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25875 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25877 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25880 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25881 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25882 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25883 group = quote <string> quote
25884 ralevel = rank / level
25885 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25886 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25887 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25889 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25890 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25891 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25892 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25895 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25896 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25899 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25900 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25903 @item gnus-info-group
25904 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25905 @findex gnus-info-group
25906 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25907 Get/set the group name.
25909 @item gnus-info-rank
25910 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25911 @findex gnus-info-rank
25912 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25913 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25915 @item gnus-info-level
25916 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25917 @findex gnus-info-level
25918 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25919 Get/set the group level.
25921 @item gnus-info-score
25922 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25923 @findex gnus-info-score
25924 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25925 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25927 @item gnus-info-read
25928 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25929 @findex gnus-info-read
25930 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25931 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25933 @item gnus-info-marks
25934 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25935 @findex gnus-info-marks
25936 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25937 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25939 @item gnus-info-method
25940 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25941 @findex gnus-info-method
25942 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25943 Get/set the group select method.
25945 @item gnus-info-params
25946 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25947 @findex gnus-info-params
25948 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25949 Get/set the group parameters.
25952 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25953 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25955 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25956 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25957 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25958 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25961 @node Extended Interactive
25962 @subsection Extended Interactive
25963 @cindex interactive
25964 @findex gnus-interactive
25966 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25967 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25968 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25971 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25972 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25977 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25978 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25979 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25980 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25981 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25982 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25983 @code{interactive}.
25985 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25990 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25991 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
25995 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
25996 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
25997 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
26000 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
26004 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
26008 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
26014 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
26015 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
26019 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
26020 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
26021 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
26023 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
26024 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
26025 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
26026 Gnus, that's very useful.
26028 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
26029 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
26030 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
26031 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
26032 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
26033 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
26034 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
26035 following function:
26038 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
26042 (,function ,@@args))
26046 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
26047 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
26048 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
26051 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
26052 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
26053 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
26055 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
26056 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
26057 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
26060 @node Various File Formats
26061 @subsection Various File Formats
26064 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
26065 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
26069 @node Active File Format
26070 @subsubsection Active File Format
26072 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
26073 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
26076 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
26079 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
26080 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
26081 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
26082 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
26083 no.general 1000 900 y
26086 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
26089 active = *group-line
26090 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
26091 group = <non-white-space string>
26093 high-number = <non-negative integer>
26094 low-number = <positive integer>
26095 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
26098 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
26099 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
26102 @node Newsgroups File Format
26103 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
26105 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
26106 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
26107 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
26110 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
26111 Here's the definition:
26115 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
26116 group = <non-white-space string>
26118 description = <string>
26123 @node Emacs for Heathens
26124 @section Emacs for Heathens
26126 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
26127 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
26128 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
26129 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
26130 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
26131 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
26132 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
26136 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
26137 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
26142 @subsection Keystrokes
26146 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
26149 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
26152 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
26153 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
26154 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
26155 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
26156 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
26157 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
26159 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
26160 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
26161 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
26162 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
26163 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
26164 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
26165 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
26167 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
26168 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
26169 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
26170 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
26171 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
26172 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
26173 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
26175 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
26176 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
26177 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
26178 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
26179 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
26185 @subsection Emacs Lisp
26187 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
26188 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
26189 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
26190 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
26192 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
26193 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
26194 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
26195 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
26196 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
26197 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
26198 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
26201 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
26202 write the following:
26205 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
26208 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
26209 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
26210 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
26213 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
26214 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
26215 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
26216 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
26217 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
26219 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
26220 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
26221 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
26225 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
26229 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
26232 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
26233 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
26236 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
26239 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
26240 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
26243 @include gnus-faq.texi
26263 @c Local Variables:
26265 @c coding: iso-8859-1
26267 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
26268 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
26269 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
26270 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
26271 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref