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325 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
335 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
337 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
345 @top The Gnus Newsreader
349 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
350 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
351 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
354 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
355 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
370 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
371 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
373 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
374 being accused of plagiarism:
376 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
377 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
378 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
379 can even read news with it!
381 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
382 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
383 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
384 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
385 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
388 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
389 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
391 @heading Other related manuals
393 @item Message manual: Composing messages
394 @item Emacs-MIME: Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
395 @item Sieve: Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
396 @item PGG: @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
397 @item SASL: @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
403 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
404 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
405 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
406 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
407 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
408 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
409 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
410 * Various:: General purpose settings.
411 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
412 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
413 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
414 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
415 * Key Index:: Key Index.
417 Other related manuals
419 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
420 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
421 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
422 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
423 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
426 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
430 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
431 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
432 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
433 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
434 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
435 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
436 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
437 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
438 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
439 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
440 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
444 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
445 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
446 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
450 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
451 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
452 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
453 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
454 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
455 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
456 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
457 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
458 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
459 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
460 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
461 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
462 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
463 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
464 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
465 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
466 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
467 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
471 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
472 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
473 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
477 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
478 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
479 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
480 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
481 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
485 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
486 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
487 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
488 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
489 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
493 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
494 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
495 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
496 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
497 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
498 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
499 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
500 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
501 * Threading:: How threads are made.
502 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
503 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
504 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
505 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
506 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
507 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
508 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
509 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
510 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
511 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
512 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
513 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
514 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
515 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
516 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
517 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
518 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
519 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
520 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
521 or reselecting the current group.
522 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
523 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
524 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
525 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
527 Summary Buffer Format
529 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
530 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
531 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
532 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
536 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
537 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
539 Reply, Followup and Post
541 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
542 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
543 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
544 * Canceling and Superseding::
548 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
549 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
550 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
551 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
552 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
553 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
557 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
558 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
560 Customizing Threading
562 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
563 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
564 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
565 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
569 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
570 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
571 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
572 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
573 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
574 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
578 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
579 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
580 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
584 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
585 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
586 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
587 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
588 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
589 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
590 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
591 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
592 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys, Gravatars
593 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
594 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
596 Alternative Approaches
598 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
599 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
601 Various Summary Stuff
603 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
604 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
605 * Summary Generation Commands::
606 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
610 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
611 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
612 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
613 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
614 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
618 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
619 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
620 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
621 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
622 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
623 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
624 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
625 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
626 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
630 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
631 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
632 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
633 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
634 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
635 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
636 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
637 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
638 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
642 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
643 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
644 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
645 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
646 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
647 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
648 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
652 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
653 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
657 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
658 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
659 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
660 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
664 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
665 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
666 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
667 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
668 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
669 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
670 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
671 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
672 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
673 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
674 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
675 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
676 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
680 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
681 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
682 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
684 Choosing a Mail Back End
686 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
687 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
688 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
689 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
690 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
691 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
692 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
697 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
698 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
699 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
703 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
704 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
705 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
706 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
707 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
708 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
712 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
713 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
714 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
715 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
719 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
723 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
727 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
728 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
729 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
733 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
734 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
735 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
737 The Gnus Diary Library
739 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
740 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
741 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
742 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
746 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
747 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
748 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
749 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
750 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
751 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
752 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
753 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
754 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
755 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
756 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
757 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
758 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
759 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
763 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
764 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
765 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
769 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
770 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
771 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
775 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
776 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
777 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
778 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
779 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
780 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
781 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
782 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
783 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
784 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
785 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
786 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
787 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
788 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
789 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
790 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
794 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
795 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
796 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
800 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
801 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
802 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
803 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
804 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
805 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
806 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
807 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
808 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
809 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
810 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
811 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
812 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
813 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
814 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
815 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
816 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
817 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
818 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
819 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
820 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
821 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
825 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
826 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
827 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
828 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
829 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
830 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
831 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
832 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
836 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
837 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
838 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
840 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
841 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
845 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
846 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
847 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
848 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
852 * Spam Package Introduction::
853 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
854 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
855 * Spam and Ham Processors::
856 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
858 * Extending the Spam package::
859 * Spam Statistics Package::
861 Spam Statistics Package
863 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
864 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
865 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
869 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
870 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
871 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
872 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
873 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
874 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
875 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
876 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
877 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
881 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
882 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
883 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
884 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
885 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
886 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
887 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
888 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
889 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
893 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
894 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
895 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
896 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
897 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
898 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
899 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
903 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
904 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
905 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
906 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
910 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
911 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
912 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
913 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
914 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
915 * Group Info:: The group info format.
916 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
917 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
918 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
922 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
923 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
924 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
925 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
926 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
927 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
931 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
932 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
936 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
937 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
943 @chapter Starting Gnus
946 If you haven't used Emacs much before using Gnus, read @ref{Emacs for
951 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
952 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
953 your Emacs. If not, you should customize the variable
954 @code{gnus-select-method} as described in @ref{Finding the News}. For a
955 minimal setup for posting should also customize the variables
956 @code{user-full-name} and @code{user-mail-address}.
958 @findex gnus-other-frame
959 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
960 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
961 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
963 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
964 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
965 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
967 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
968 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
971 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
972 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
973 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
974 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
975 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
976 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
977 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
978 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
979 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
980 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
984 @node Finding the News
985 @section Finding the News
988 First of all, you should know that there is a special buffer called
989 @code{*Server*} that lists all the servers Gnus knows about. You can
990 press @kbd{^} from the Group buffer to see it. In the Server buffer,
991 you can press @kbd{RET} on a defined server to see all the groups it
992 serves (subscribed or not!). You can also add or delete servers, edit
993 a foreign server's definition, agentize or de-agentize a server, and
994 do many other neat things. @xref{Server Buffer}.
995 @xref{Foreign Groups}. @xref{Agent Basics}.
997 @vindex gnus-select-method
999 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
1000 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1001 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1002 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1005 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1006 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1009 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1012 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1015 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1018 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1019 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1020 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1021 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1023 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1025 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1026 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1027 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1028 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1029 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1030 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1031 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1033 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1034 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1035 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1036 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1038 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1039 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1040 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1041 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1042 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1043 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1044 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1045 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1046 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1049 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1051 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1052 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1053 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1054 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1055 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1056 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1058 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1060 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1061 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1062 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1063 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1064 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1065 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1068 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1069 you would typically set this variable to
1072 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1075 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1076 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1077 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1078 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1081 @node The First Time
1082 @section The First Time
1083 @cindex first time usage
1085 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
1086 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1088 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1089 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1090 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1091 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1094 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1095 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1096 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1098 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1099 help you with most common problems.
1101 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1102 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1106 @node The Server is Down
1107 @section The Server is Down
1108 @cindex server errors
1110 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1111 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1112 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1114 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1115 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1116 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1117 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1118 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1119 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1120 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1122 @findex gnus-no-server
1123 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1125 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1126 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1127 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1128 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1129 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1130 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1131 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1135 @section Slave Gnusae
1138 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1139 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1140 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1141 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1143 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1144 @file{.newsrc} file.
1146 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1147 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1148 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1149 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1150 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1151 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1152 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1155 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1156 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1157 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1158 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1159 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1160 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1161 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1162 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1164 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1165 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1167 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1168 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1169 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1170 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1171 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1178 @cindex subscription
1180 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1181 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1182 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1183 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1184 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1185 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1186 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1187 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1188 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1191 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1192 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1193 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1197 @node Checking New Groups
1198 @subsection Checking New Groups
1200 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1201 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1202 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1203 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1204 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1205 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1206 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1207 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1208 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1209 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1211 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1212 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1213 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1214 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1215 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1216 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1217 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1218 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1219 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1220 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1221 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1223 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1224 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1225 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1226 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1227 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1228 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1231 @node Subscription Methods
1232 @subsection Subscription Methods
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1235 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1236 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1238 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1239 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1241 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1247 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1248 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1249 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1251 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1252 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1253 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1254 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1256 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1257 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1258 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1260 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1261 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1262 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1263 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1264 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1265 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1266 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1267 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1268 up. Or something like that.
1270 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1271 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1272 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1273 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1274 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1276 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1277 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1278 Kill all new groups.
1280 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1281 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1282 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1283 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1284 topic parameter that looks like
1290 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1293 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1298 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1299 A closely related variable is
1300 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1301 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1302 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1303 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1306 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1307 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1308 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1309 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1312 @node Filtering New Groups
1313 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1315 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1316 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1317 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1320 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1323 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1324 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1325 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1326 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1327 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1328 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1329 subscribing these groups.
1330 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1331 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1333 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1334 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1335 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1336 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1337 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1338 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1339 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1340 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1342 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1343 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1344 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1345 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1346 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1347 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1348 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1349 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1350 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1351 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1354 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1355 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1358 @node Changing Servers
1359 @section Changing Servers
1360 @cindex changing servers
1362 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1363 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1364 very flaky and you want to use another.
1366 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1367 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1371 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1372 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1373 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1374 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1377 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1378 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1379 You can use the @kbd{M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups}
1380 command to clear out all data that you have on your native groups.
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 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1405 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1406 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1409 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1410 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1411 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1412 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1413 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1414 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1415 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1417 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1418 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1419 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1420 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1421 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1422 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1424 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1425 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1426 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1427 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1428 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1429 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1430 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1431 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1432 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1433 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1434 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1437 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1438 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1439 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1440 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1441 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1442 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1443 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1444 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1445 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1446 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1447 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1448 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1450 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1451 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1452 @vindex version-control
1453 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1454 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1455 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1456 If you want version control for this file, set
1457 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1458 @code{version-control} variable.
1460 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1461 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1462 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1463 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1464 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1465 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1466 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1467 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1468 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1469 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1472 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1473 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1475 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1476 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1479 @vindex gnus-init-file
1480 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1481 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1482 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1483 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1484 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1485 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1486 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1487 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1488 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1489 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1490 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1491 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1492 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1497 @cindex dribble file
1500 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1501 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1502 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1503 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1504 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1507 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1508 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1511 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1512 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1513 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1515 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1516 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1517 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1518 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1519 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1520 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1522 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1523 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1524 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1527 @node The Active File
1528 @section The Active File
1530 @cindex ignored groups
1532 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1533 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1534 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1536 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1537 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1538 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1539 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1540 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1541 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1542 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1545 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1546 @c if you set it to anything else.
1548 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1550 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1551 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1552 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1554 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1555 you actually subscribe to.
1557 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1558 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1559 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1560 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1562 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1563 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1564 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1565 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1566 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1567 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1569 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1570 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1571 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1574 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1575 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1576 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1577 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1578 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1579 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1581 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1582 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1584 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1585 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1587 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1588 secondary select methods.
1591 @node Startup Variables
1592 @section Startup Variables
1596 @item gnus-load-hook
1597 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1598 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1599 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1600 times you start Gnus.
1602 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1603 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1604 A hook called as the first thing when Gnus is started.
1606 @item gnus-startup-hook
1607 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1608 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1610 @item gnus-started-hook
1611 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1612 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1615 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1616 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1617 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1618 generating the group buffer.
1620 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1621 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1622 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1623 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1624 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1625 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1626 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1627 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1629 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1630 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1631 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1632 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1633 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1634 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1636 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1637 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1638 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1640 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1641 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1642 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1644 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1645 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1646 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1647 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1649 @item gnus-use-backend-marks
1650 @vindex gnus-use-backend-marks
1651 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will store article marks both in the
1652 @file{.newsrc.eld} file and in the backends. This will slow down
1653 group operation some.
1659 @chapter Group Buffer
1660 @cindex group buffer
1662 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1664 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1665 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1666 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1667 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1668 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1669 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1670 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1671 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1672 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1673 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1674 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1675 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1676 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1677 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1678 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1679 @c human rights at 9...
1682 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1683 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1684 long as Gnus is active.
1688 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1689 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1690 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1691 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1692 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1693 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1694 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1695 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1701 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1702 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1703 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1704 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1705 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1706 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1707 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1708 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1709 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1710 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1711 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1712 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1713 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1714 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1715 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1716 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1717 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
1718 * Searching:: Mail search engines.
1719 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1723 @node Group Buffer Format
1724 @section Group Buffer Format
1727 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1728 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1729 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1732 You can customize the Group Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
1733 customize-apropos RET gnus-group-tool-bar}. This feature is only
1736 The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly depending on the
1737 cursor position. Therefore, moving around in the Group Buffer is
1738 slower. You can disable this via the variable
1739 @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}. Its default value depends on your
1742 @node Group Line Specification
1743 @subsection Group Line Specification
1744 @cindex group buffer format
1746 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1747 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1749 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1752 25: news.announce.newusers
1753 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1758 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1759 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1760 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1761 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1763 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1764 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1765 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1766 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1767 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1768 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1770 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1772 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1773 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1774 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1775 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1776 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1778 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1779 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1780 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1782 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1787 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1790 Whether the group is subscribed.
1793 Level of subscribedness.
1796 Number of unread articles.
1799 Number of dormant articles.
1802 Number of ticked articles.
1805 Number of read articles.
1808 Number of unseen articles.
1811 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1812 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1814 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1815 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1816 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1817 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1818 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1819 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1820 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job.
1822 The nnml backend (@pxref{Mail Spool}) has a feature called ``group
1823 compaction'' which circumvents this deficiency: the idea is to
1824 renumber all articles from 1, removing all gaps between numbers, hence
1825 getting a correct total count. Other backends may support this in the
1826 future. In order to keep your total article count relatively up to
1827 date, you might want to compact your groups (or even directly your
1828 server) from time to time. @xref{Misc Group Stuff}, @xref{Server Commands}.
1831 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1834 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1843 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1844 comment element in the group parameters.
1847 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1848 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1849 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1853 @samp{m} if moderated.
1856 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1862 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1868 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1872 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1875 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1876 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1877 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1878 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1879 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1882 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1884 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1888 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1891 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1895 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1896 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1897 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1898 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1901 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1902 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1903 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1904 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1905 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1906 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1911 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1912 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1913 group, or a bogus native group.
1916 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1917 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1918 @cindex group mode line
1920 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1921 The mode line can be changed by setting
1922 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1923 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1927 The native news server.
1929 The native select method.
1933 @node Group Highlighting
1934 @subsection Group Highlighting
1935 @cindex highlighting
1936 @cindex group highlighting
1938 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1939 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1940 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1941 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1942 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1944 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1948 (cond (window-system
1949 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1950 (defface my-group-face-1
1951 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1952 (defface my-group-face-2
1953 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1954 "Second group face")
1955 (defface my-group-face-3
1956 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1957 (defface my-group-face-4
1958 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1959 (defface my-group-face-5
1960 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1962 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1963 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1964 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1965 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1966 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1967 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1970 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1972 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1979 The number of unread articles in the group.
1983 Whether the group is a mail group.
1985 The level of the group.
1987 The score of the group.
1989 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1991 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1992 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1994 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1995 topic being inserted.
1998 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1999 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
2000 functions for snarfing info on the group.
2002 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
2003 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
2004 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
2005 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
2008 @node Group Maneuvering
2009 @section Group Maneuvering
2010 @cindex group movement
2012 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2013 expected, hopefully.
2019 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2020 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2021 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2027 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2028 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2029 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2033 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2034 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2038 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2039 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2043 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2044 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2045 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2049 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2050 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2051 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2054 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2060 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2061 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2062 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2067 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2068 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2069 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2073 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2074 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2075 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2078 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2079 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2080 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2081 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2084 @vindex gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit
2085 If @code{gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit} is @code{t}, when a summary is
2086 exited, the point in the group buffer is moved to the next unread group.
2087 Otherwise, the point is set to the group just exited. The default is
2090 @node Selecting a Group
2091 @section Selecting a Group
2092 @cindex group selection
2097 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2098 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2099 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2100 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2101 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2102 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2103 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2104 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2105 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2106 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2108 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2109 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2110 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2112 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2113 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2118 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2119 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2120 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2121 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2122 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2126 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2127 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2128 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2129 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2130 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2131 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2132 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2133 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2134 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2135 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2138 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2139 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2140 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2141 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2142 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2145 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2146 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2147 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2148 doing any processing of its contents
2149 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2150 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2151 manner will have no permanent effects.
2155 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2156 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2157 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2158 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2159 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2160 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2161 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2162 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2163 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2164 most recently will be fetched.
2166 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2167 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2168 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2171 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles
2172 In groups in some news servers, there might be a big gap between a few
2173 very old articles that will never be expired and the recent ones. In
2174 such a case, the server will return the data like @code{(1 . 30000000)}
2175 for the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, for example. Even if there
2176 are actually only the articles 1-10 and 29999900-30000000, Gnus doesn't
2177 know it at first and prepares for getting 30000000 articles. However,
2178 it will consume hundreds megabytes of memories and might make Emacs get
2179 stuck as the case may be. If you use such news servers, set the
2180 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} to a positive number.
2181 The value means that Gnus ignores articles other than this number of the
2182 latest ones in every group. For instance, the value 10000 makes Gnus
2183 get only the articles 29990001-30000000 (if the latest article number is
2184 30000000 in a group). Note that setting this variable to a number might
2185 prevent you from reading very old articles. The default value of the
2186 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} is @code{nil}, which
2187 means Gnus never ignores old articles.
2189 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2190 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2191 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2192 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2193 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2194 Which article this is controlled by the
2195 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2201 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2204 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2207 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2209 @item unseen-or-unread
2210 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2211 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2215 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2219 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2220 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2222 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2223 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2224 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2225 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2229 @node Subscription Commands
2230 @section Subscription Commands
2231 @cindex subscription
2239 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2240 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2241 Toggle subscription to the current group
2242 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2248 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2249 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2250 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2251 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2257 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2258 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2259 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2265 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2266 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2269 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2270 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2271 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2272 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2273 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2279 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2280 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2284 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2285 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2288 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2289 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2290 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2291 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2292 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2293 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2294 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2295 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2296 @file{.newsrc} file.
2300 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2310 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2311 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2312 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2313 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2314 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2315 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2320 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2321 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2322 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2326 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2327 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2328 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2330 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2331 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2332 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2333 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2334 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2335 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2342 @section Group Levels
2346 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2347 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2348 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2349 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2350 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2352 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2358 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2359 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2360 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2361 prompted for a level.
2364 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2365 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2366 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2367 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2368 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2369 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2370 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2371 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2372 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2373 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2374 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2375 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2376 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2377 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2378 reasons of efficiency.
2380 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2381 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2383 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2384 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2385 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2386 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2387 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2388 groups are hidden, in a way.
2390 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2391 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2392 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2393 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2394 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2395 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2397 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2398 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2399 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2400 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2401 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2402 list of killed groups.)
2404 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2405 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2406 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2408 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2409 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2410 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2411 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2412 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2413 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2414 relevant valid ranges.
2416 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2417 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2418 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2419 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2420 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2421 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2424 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2425 one with the best level.
2427 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2428 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2429 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2432 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2433 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2434 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2435 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2438 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2439 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2440 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2441 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2443 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2444 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2445 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2446 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2447 to 5. The default is 6.
2451 @section Group Score
2456 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2457 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2458 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2461 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2462 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2463 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2464 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2465 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2466 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2467 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2468 least significant part.))
2470 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2471 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2472 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2473 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2474 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2475 action after each summary exit, you can add
2476 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2477 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2478 slow things down somewhat.
2481 @node Marking Groups
2482 @section Marking Groups
2483 @cindex marking groups
2485 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2486 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2487 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2488 bidding on those groups.
2490 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2491 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2492 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2500 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2501 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2507 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2508 Remove the mark from the current group
2509 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2514 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2518 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2519 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2523 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2524 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2528 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2529 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2530 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2533 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2535 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2536 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2537 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2538 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2539 the command to be executed.
2542 @node Foreign Groups
2543 @section Foreign Groups
2544 @cindex foreign groups
2546 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2547 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2548 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2549 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2552 Changes from the group editing commands are stored in
2553 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} (@code{gnus-startup-file}). An alternative is the
2554 variable @code{gnus-parameters}, @xref{Group Parameters}.
2560 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2561 @cindex making groups
2562 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2563 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2564 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2568 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2569 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2570 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2574 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2575 @cindex renaming groups
2576 Rename the current group to something else
2577 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2578 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2584 @findex gnus-group-customize
2585 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2589 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2590 @cindex renaming groups
2591 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2592 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2596 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2597 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2598 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2602 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2603 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2604 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2608 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2610 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2611 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2616 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2617 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2621 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2623 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2624 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2625 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2629 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2630 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2632 Make a group based on some file or other
2633 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2634 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2635 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2636 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2637 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2638 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2639 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2640 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2641 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2645 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2646 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2647 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2648 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2652 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2656 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2657 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2658 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2659 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2660 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2661 @xref{Web Searches}.
2663 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2664 to a particular group by using a match string like
2665 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2669 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2670 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2671 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2675 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2676 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2677 This function will delete the current group
2678 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2679 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2680 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2681 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2682 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2686 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2687 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2688 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2692 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2693 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2694 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2697 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2700 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2701 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2702 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2703 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2704 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2705 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2709 The following commands create ephemeral groups. They can be called not
2710 only from the Group buffer, but in any Gnus buffer.
2713 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2714 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2715 @vindex gnus-gmane-group-download-format
2716 Read an ephemeral group on Gmane.org. The articles are downloaded via
2717 HTTP using the URL specified by @code{gnus-gmane-group-download-format}.
2718 Gnus will prompt you for a group name, the start article number and an
2721 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2722 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2723 This command is similar to @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group}, but
2724 the group name and the article number and range are constructed from a
2725 given @acronym{URL}. Supported @acronym{URL} formats include e.g.
2726 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12300/focus=12399},
2727 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2728 @url{http://article.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2729 @url{http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/}, and
2730 @url{http://news.gmane.org/group/gmane.foo.bar/thread=12345}.
2732 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2733 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2734 Read an Emacs bug report in an ephemeral group. Gnus will prompt for a
2735 bug number. The default is the number at point. The @acronym{URL} is
2736 specified in @code{gnus-bug-group-download-format-alist}.
2738 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2739 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2740 Read a Debian bug report in an ephemeral group. Analog to
2741 @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group}.
2744 Some of these command are also useful for article buttons, @xref{Article
2752 '("#\\([0-9]+\\)\\>" 1
2753 (string-match "\\<emacs\\>" (or gnus-newsgroup-name ""))
2754 gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group 1))
2758 @node Group Parameters
2759 @section Group Parameters
2760 @cindex group parameters
2762 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2764 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2765 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2766 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2767 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2768 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2769 Additionally, you can set group parameters via the
2770 @code{gnus-parameters} variable, see below.
2772 Here's an example group parameter list:
2775 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2779 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2780 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2781 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2782 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2784 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2785 is an alist of regexps and values.
2787 The following group parameters can be used:
2792 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2795 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2798 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2799 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2800 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2801 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2802 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2804 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2805 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2806 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2807 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2808 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2809 list address instead.
2811 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2815 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2818 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2821 It is totally ignored
2822 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2823 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2825 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2826 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2827 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2828 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2829 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2831 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2832 @cindex mail list groups
2833 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2834 entering summary buffer.
2836 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2841 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2842 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2843 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2844 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2845 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2846 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2847 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2848 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2851 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2852 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2855 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2856 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2860 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2861 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2862 of whether it has any unread articles.
2864 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2865 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2867 @item broken-reply-to
2868 @cindex broken-reply-to
2869 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2870 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2871 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2872 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2873 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2874 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2878 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2879 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2883 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2884 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2885 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2890 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2891 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2892 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2893 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2894 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2895 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2896 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2898 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2899 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2900 doesn't accept articles.
2904 @cindex expiring mail
2905 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2906 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2907 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2909 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2912 @cindex total-expire
2913 @cindex expiring mail
2914 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2915 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2916 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2917 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2920 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2924 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2925 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2926 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2927 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2928 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2929 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2930 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2933 @cindex expiry-target
2934 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2935 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2938 @cindex score file group parameter
2939 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2940 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2941 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2944 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2945 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2946 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2947 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2950 @cindex admin-address
2951 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2952 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2953 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2954 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2958 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2959 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2963 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2966 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2967 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2970 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2974 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2976 Here are some examples:
2980 Display only unread articles.
2983 Display everything except expirable articles.
2985 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2986 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2990 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2991 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2992 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2993 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2994 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2998 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2999 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
3000 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
3004 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
3005 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
3006 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
3010 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
3011 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
3012 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
3014 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
3016 @item ignored-charsets
3017 @cindex ignored-charset
3018 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
3019 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
3020 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
3022 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
3025 @cindex posting-style
3026 You can store additional posting style information for this group
3027 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
3028 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
3029 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
3030 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
3032 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
3033 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
3034 like this in the group parameters:
3039 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
3040 (signature "Funky Signature"))
3043 If you're using topics to organize your group buffer
3044 (@pxref{Group Topics}), note that posting styles can also be set in
3045 the topics parameters. Posting styles in topic parameters apply to all
3046 groups in this topic. More precisely, the posting-style settings for a
3047 group result from the hierarchical merging of all posting-style
3048 entries in the parameters of this group and all the topics it belongs
3054 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
3055 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
3059 If it is set, and the setting of @code{mail-sources} includes a
3060 @code{group} mail source (@pxref{Mail Sources}), the value is a
3061 mail source for this group.
3065 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
3066 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
3067 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
3068 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
3069 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
3073 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
3074 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
3075 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
3076 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3078 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3079 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3080 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3081 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3084 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
3085 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3089 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3090 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3091 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3092 like the following is generated:
3095 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3096 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3100 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3101 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3103 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3104 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3106 @item (agent parameters)
3107 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3108 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3109 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3110 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3111 minimize the configuration effort.
3113 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3114 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3115 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3116 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3117 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3118 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3119 @code{eval}ed there.
3121 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer
3122 if and only if @var{variable} has been bound as a variable. Otherwise,
3123 only evaluating the form will take place. So, you may want to bind the
3124 variable in advance using @code{defvar} or other if the result of the
3125 form needs to be set to it.
3127 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3128 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3129 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3130 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3131 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3132 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3133 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3136 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3139 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3140 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3141 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3144 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3147 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3148 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3149 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3150 into the group parameters for the group.
3152 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3153 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3154 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group. If
3155 @code{dummy-variable} has been bound (see above), it will be set to the
3156 (meaningless) result of the @code{(ding)} form.
3158 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3159 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3160 following is added to a group parameter
3163 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3164 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3167 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3172 @vindex gnus-parameters
3173 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3174 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3175 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3179 (setq gnus-parameters
3181 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3182 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3183 (gnus-summary-line-format
3184 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3188 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3192 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3196 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3199 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3200 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3202 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3203 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3204 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3205 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3206 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3207 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3208 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3209 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3210 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3211 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3212 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3213 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3215 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3216 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3217 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3218 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3219 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3220 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3221 weekly news RSS feed
3222 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3228 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3229 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3230 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3231 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3232 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3234 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3235 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3236 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3237 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3238 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3239 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3243 @node Listing Groups
3244 @section Listing Groups
3245 @cindex group listing
3247 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3255 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3256 List all groups that have unread articles
3257 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3258 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3259 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3260 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3267 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3268 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3269 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3270 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3271 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3272 unsubscribed groups).
3276 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3277 List all unread groups on a specific level
3278 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3279 with no unread articles.
3283 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3284 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3285 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3286 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3291 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3292 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3296 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3297 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3298 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3302 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3303 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3307 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3308 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3309 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3310 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3311 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3312 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3313 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3314 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3318 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3319 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3320 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3324 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3325 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3326 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3330 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3331 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3335 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3336 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3340 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3341 List groups limited within the current selection
3342 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3346 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3347 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3351 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3352 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3356 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3357 @cindex visible group parameter
3358 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3359 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3360 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3361 get the same effect.
3363 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3364 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3365 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3366 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3367 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3370 @node Sorting Groups
3371 @section Sorting Groups
3372 @cindex sorting groups
3374 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3375 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3376 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3377 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3378 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3379 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3384 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3385 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3386 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3388 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3389 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3390 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3392 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3393 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3394 Sort by group level.
3396 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3397 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3398 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3400 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3401 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3402 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3403 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3405 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3406 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3407 Sort by number of unread articles.
3409 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3410 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3411 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3413 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3414 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3415 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3420 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3421 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3425 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3426 some sorting criteria:
3430 @kindex G S a (Group)
3431 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3432 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3433 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3436 @kindex G S u (Group)
3437 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3438 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3439 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3442 @kindex G S l (Group)
3443 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3444 Sort the group buffer by group level
3445 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3448 @kindex G S v (Group)
3449 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3450 Sort the group buffer by group score
3451 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3454 @kindex G S r (Group)
3455 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3456 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3457 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3460 @kindex G S m (Group)
3461 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3462 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3463 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3466 @kindex G S n (Group)
3467 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3468 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3469 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3473 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3474 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3476 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3477 commands will sort in reverse order.
3479 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3483 @kindex G P a (Group)
3484 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3485 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3486 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3489 @kindex G P u (Group)
3490 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3491 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3492 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3495 @kindex G P l (Group)
3496 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3497 Sort the groups by group level
3498 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3501 @kindex G P v (Group)
3502 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3503 Sort the groups by group score
3504 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3507 @kindex G P r (Group)
3508 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3509 Sort the groups by group rank
3510 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3513 @kindex G P m (Group)
3514 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3515 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3516 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3519 @kindex G P n (Group)
3520 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3521 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3522 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3525 @kindex G P s (Group)
3526 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3527 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3531 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3535 @node Group Maintenance
3536 @section Group Maintenance
3537 @cindex bogus groups
3542 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3543 Find bogus groups and delete them
3544 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3548 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3549 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3550 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3551 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3552 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3556 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3557 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3558 @cindex expiring mail
3559 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3560 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3561 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3562 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3565 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3566 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3567 @cindex expiring mail
3568 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3569 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3574 @node Browse Foreign Server
3575 @section Browse Foreign Server
3576 @cindex foreign servers
3577 @cindex browsing servers
3582 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3583 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3584 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3585 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3588 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3589 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3590 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3591 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3593 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3598 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3599 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3603 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3604 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3607 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3608 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3609 Enter the current group and display the first article
3610 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3613 @kindex RET (Browse)
3614 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3615 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3619 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3620 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3621 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3627 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3628 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3632 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3633 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3637 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3638 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3639 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3644 @section Exiting Gnus
3645 @cindex exiting Gnus
3647 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3652 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3653 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3654 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3655 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3659 @findex gnus-group-exit
3660 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3661 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3665 @findex gnus-group-quit
3666 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3667 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3670 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3671 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3672 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3673 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3674 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3675 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3681 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3682 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3683 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3689 @section Group Topics
3692 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3693 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3694 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3695 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3696 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3697 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3701 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3702 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3713 2: alt.religion.emacs
3716 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3718 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3719 13: comp.sources.unix
3722 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3724 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3725 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3726 is a toggling command.)
3728 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3729 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3730 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3731 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3734 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3735 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3736 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3739 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3743 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3744 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3745 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3746 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3747 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3751 @node Topic Commands
3752 @subsection Topic Commands
3753 @cindex topic commands
3755 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3756 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3757 definitions slightly.
3759 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3760 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3761 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3762 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3763 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3764 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3766 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3773 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3774 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3775 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3779 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3781 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3782 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3783 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3784 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3787 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3788 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3789 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3790 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3794 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3795 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3796 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3797 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3803 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3804 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3805 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3809 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3810 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3811 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3814 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3815 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3816 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3817 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3818 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3820 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3821 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3825 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3826 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3833 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3835 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3836 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3837 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3838 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3839 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3840 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3844 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3850 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3851 Move the current group to some other topic
3852 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3853 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3857 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3858 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3862 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3863 Copy the current group to some other topic
3864 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3865 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3869 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3870 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3871 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3875 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3876 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3877 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3881 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3882 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3883 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3884 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3885 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3886 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3887 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3890 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3891 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3895 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3896 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3897 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3901 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3902 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3903 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3907 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3908 Toggle hiding empty topics
3909 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3913 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3914 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3915 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3916 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3919 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3920 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3921 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3922 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3923 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3926 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3927 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3928 @cindex expiring mail
3929 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3930 expiry process (if any)
3931 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3935 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3936 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3939 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3940 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3941 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3945 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3946 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3947 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3950 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3951 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3952 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3955 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3956 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3957 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3961 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3962 @cindex group parameters
3963 @cindex topic parameters
3965 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3966 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3971 @node Topic Variables
3972 @subsection Topic Variables
3973 @cindex topic variables
3975 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3976 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3978 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3979 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3980 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3993 Number of groups in the topic.
3995 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3997 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
4000 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
4001 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
4002 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
4005 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
4006 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
4008 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
4009 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
4010 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
4014 @subsection Topic Sorting
4015 @cindex topic sorting
4017 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
4023 @kindex T S a (Topic)
4024 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
4025 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
4026 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
4029 @kindex T S u (Topic)
4030 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
4031 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
4032 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
4035 @kindex T S l (Topic)
4036 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
4037 Sort the current topic by group level
4038 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
4041 @kindex T S v (Topic)
4042 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
4043 Sort the current topic by group score
4044 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
4047 @kindex T S r (Topic)
4048 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
4049 Sort the current topic by group rank
4050 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
4053 @kindex T S m (Topic)
4054 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
4055 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
4056 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
4059 @kindex T S e (Topic)
4060 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
4061 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
4062 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
4065 @kindex T S s (Topic)
4066 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
4067 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
4068 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
4069 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
4073 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
4074 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
4078 @node Topic Topology
4079 @subsection Topic Topology
4080 @cindex topic topology
4083 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
4090 2: alt.religion.emacs
4093 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4095 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4096 13: comp.sources.unix
4100 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4101 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4102 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4107 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4108 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4112 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4113 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4114 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4115 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4116 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4117 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4119 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4120 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4121 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4124 @node Topic Parameters
4125 @subsection Topic Parameters
4126 @cindex topic parameters
4128 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4129 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4130 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4131 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4132 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4134 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4139 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4140 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4141 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4144 @item subscribe-level
4145 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4146 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4147 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4151 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4152 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4153 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4154 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4161 2: alt.religion.emacs
4165 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4167 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4168 13: comp.sources.unix
4173 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4174 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4175 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4176 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4177 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4178 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4180 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4181 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4182 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4183 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4184 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4186 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4187 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4188 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4189 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4190 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4191 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4192 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4193 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4196 @node Non-ASCII Group Names
4197 @section Accessing groups of non-English names
4198 @cindex non-ascii group names
4200 There are some news servers that provide groups of which the names are
4201 expressed with their native languages in the world. For instance, in a
4202 certain news server there are some newsgroups of which the names are
4203 spelled in Chinese, where people are talking in Chinese. You can, of
4204 course, subscribe to such news groups using Gnus. Currently Gnus
4205 supports non-@acronym{ASCII} group names not only with the @code{nntp}
4206 back end but also with the @code{nnml} back end and the @code{nnrss}
4209 Every such group name is encoded by a certain charset in the server
4210 side (in an @acronym{NNTP} server its administrator determines the
4211 charset, but for groups in the other back ends it is determined by you).
4212 Gnus has to display the decoded ones for you in the group buffer and the
4213 article buffer, and needs to use the encoded ones when communicating
4214 with servers. However, Gnus doesn't know what charset is used for each
4215 non-@acronym{ASCII} group name. The following two variables are just
4216 the ones for telling Gnus what charset should be used for each group:
4219 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4220 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4221 An alist of select methods and charsets. The default value is
4222 @code{nil}. The names of groups in the server specified by that select
4223 method are all supposed to use the corresponding charset. For example:
4226 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4227 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4230 Charsets specified for groups with this variable are preferred to the
4231 ones specified for the same groups with the
4232 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} variable (see below).
4234 A select method can be very long, like:
4238 (nntp-address "news.gmane.org")
4239 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
4240 (nntp-open-connection-function
4241 nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
4242 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
4243 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
4244 ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
4245 (nntp-via-address @dots{}))
4248 In that case, you can truncate it into @code{(nntp "gmane")} in this
4249 variable. That is, it is enough to contain only the back end name and
4252 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4253 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4254 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4255 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
4256 @code{((".*" . utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported,
4257 otherwise the default is @code{nil}. For example:
4260 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4261 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)
4265 Note that this variable is ignored if the match is made with
4266 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist}.
4269 Those two variables are used also to determine the charset for encoding
4270 and decoding non-@acronym{ASCII} group names that are in the back ends
4271 other than @code{nntp}. It means that it is you who determine it. If
4272 you do nothing, the charset used for group names in those back ends will
4273 all be @code{utf-8} because of the last element of
4274 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4276 There is one more important variable for non-@acronym{ASCII} group
4280 @item nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4281 @vindex nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4282 The value of this variable should be a coding system or @code{nil}. The
4283 default is @code{nil} in Emacs, or is the aliasee of the coding system
4284 named @code{file-name} (a certain coding system of which an alias is
4285 @code{file-name}) in XEmacs.
4287 The @code{nnml} back end, the @code{nnrss} back end, the @acronym{NNTP}
4288 marks feature (@pxref{NNTP marks}), the agent, and the cache use
4289 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names in those files and directories. This
4290 variable overrides the value of @code{file-name-coding-system} which
4291 specifies the coding system used when encoding and decoding those file
4292 names and directory names.
4294 In XEmacs (with the @code{mule} feature), @code{file-name-coding-system}
4295 is the only means to specify the coding system used to encode and decode
4296 file names. On the other hand, Emacs uses the value of
4297 @code{default-file-name-coding-system} if @code{file-name-coding-system}
4298 is @code{nil} or it is bound to the value of
4299 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} which is @code{nil}.
4301 Normally the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system} in Emacs or
4302 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} in XEmacs is initialized according
4303 to the locale, so you will need to do nothing if the value is suitable
4304 to encode and decode non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4306 The value of this variable (or @code{default-file-name-coding-system})
4307 does not necessarily need to be the same value that is determined by
4308 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} and
4309 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4311 If @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable is
4312 initialized by default to @code{iso-latin-1} for example, although you
4313 want to subscribe to the groups spelled in Chinese, that is the most
4314 typical case where you have to customize
4315 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}. The @code{utf-8} coding system is
4316 a good candidate for it. Otherwise, you may change the locale in your
4317 system so that @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable
4318 may be initialized to an appropriate value.
4321 Note that when you copy or move articles from a non-@acronym{ASCII}
4322 group to another group, the charset used to encode and decode group
4323 names should be the same in both groups. Otherwise the Newsgroups
4324 header will be displayed incorrectly in the article buffer.
4331 * nnir:: Searching on IMAP, with swish, namazu, etc.
4332 * nnmairix:: Searching maildir, MH or mbox with Mairix.
4337 FIXME: This node is a stub.
4339 FIXME: Add a brief overview of Gnus search capabilities. A brief
4340 comparison of nnir, nnmairix, contrib/gnus-namazu would be nice
4343 FIXME: Explain difference to @ref{Searching for Articles}, add reference
4349 FIXME: As a first step, convert the commentary of @file{nnir} to texi.
4353 @subsection nnmairix
4357 This paragraph describes how to set up mairix and the back end
4358 @code{nnmairix} for indexing and searching your mail from within
4359 Gnus. Additionally, you can create permanent ``smart'' groups which are
4360 bound to mairix searches and are automatically updated.
4363 * About mairix:: About the mairix mail search engine
4364 * nnmairix requirements:: What you will need for using nnmairix
4365 * What nnmairix does:: What does nnmairix actually do?
4366 * Setting up mairix:: Set up your mairix installation
4367 * Configuring nnmairix:: Set up the nnmairix back end
4368 * nnmairix keyboard shortcuts:: List of available keyboard shortcuts
4369 * Propagating marks:: How to propagate marks from nnmairix groups
4370 * nnmairix tips and tricks:: Some tips, tricks and examples
4371 * nnmairix caveats:: Some more stuff you might want to know
4374 @c FIXME: The markup in this section might need improvement.
4375 @c E.g. adding @samp, @var, @file, @command, etc.
4376 @c Cf. (info "(texinfo)Indicating")
4379 @subsubsection About mairix
4381 Mairix is a tool for indexing and searching words in locally stored
4382 mail. It was written by Richard Curnow and is licensed under the
4383 GPL. Mairix comes with most popular GNU/Linux distributions, but it also
4384 runs under Windows (with cygwin), Mac OS X and Solaris. The homepage can
4386 @uref{http://www.rpcurnow.force9.co.uk/mairix/index.html}
4388 Though mairix might not be as flexible as other search tools like
4389 swish++ or namazu, which you can use via the @code{nnir} back end, it
4390 has the prime advantage of being incredibly fast. On current systems, it
4391 can easily search through headers and message bodies of thousands and
4392 thousands of mails in well under a second. Building the database
4393 necessary for searching might take a minute or two, but only has to be
4394 done once fully. Afterwards, the updates are done incrementally and
4395 therefore are really fast, too. Additionally, mairix is very easy to set
4398 For maximum speed though, mairix should be used with mails stored in
4399 @code{Maildir} or @code{MH} format (this includes the @code{nnml} back
4400 end), although it also works with mbox. Mairix presents the search
4401 results by populating a @emph{virtual} maildir/MH folder with symlinks
4402 which point to the ``real'' message files (if mbox is used, copies are
4403 made). Since mairix already presents search results in such a virtual
4404 mail folder, it is very well suited for using it as an external program
4405 for creating @emph{smart} mail folders, which represent certain mail
4408 @node nnmairix requirements
4409 @subsubsection nnmairix requirements
4411 Mairix searches local mail---that means, mairix absolutely must have
4412 direct access to your mail folders. If your mail resides on another
4413 server (e.g. an @acronym{IMAP} server) and you happen to have shell
4414 access, @code{nnmairix} supports running mairix remotely, e.g. via ssh.
4416 Additionally, @code{nnmairix} only supports the following Gnus back
4417 ends: @code{nnml}, @code{nnmaildir}, and @code{nnimap}. You must use
4418 one of these back ends for using @code{nnmairix}. Other back ends, like
4419 @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnfolder} or @code{nnmh}, won't work.
4421 If you absolutely must use mbox and still want to use @code{nnmairix},
4422 you can set up a local @acronym{IMAP} server, which you then access via
4423 @code{nnimap}. This is a rather massive setup for accessing some mbox
4424 files, so just change to MH or Maildir already... However, if you're
4425 really, really passionate about using mbox, you might want to look into
4426 the package @file{mairix.el}, which comes with Emacs 23.
4428 @node What nnmairix does
4429 @subsubsection What nnmairix does
4431 The back end @code{nnmairix} enables you to call mairix from within Gnus,
4432 either to query mairix with a search term or to update the
4433 database. While visiting a message in the summary buffer, you can use
4434 several pre-defined shortcuts for calling mairix, e.g. to quickly
4435 search for all mails from the sender of the current message or to
4436 display the whole thread associated with the message, even if the
4437 mails are in different folders.
4439 Additionally, you can create permanent @code{nnmairix} groups which are bound
4440 to certain mairix searches. This way, you can easily create a group
4441 containing mails from a certain sender, with a certain subject line or
4442 even for one specific thread based on the Message-ID. If you check for
4443 new mail in these folders (e.g. by pressing @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g}), they
4444 automatically update themselves by calling mairix.
4446 You might ask why you need @code{nnmairix} at all, since mairix already
4447 creates the group, populates it with links to the mails so that you can
4448 then access it with Gnus, right? Well, this @emph{might} work, but often
4449 does not---at least not without problems. Most probably you will get
4450 strange article counts, and sometimes you might see mails which Gnus
4451 claims have already been canceled and are inaccessible. This is due to
4452 the fact that Gnus isn't really amused when things are happening behind
4453 its back. Another problem can be the mail back end itself, e.g. if you
4454 use mairix with an @acronym{IMAP} server (I had Dovecot complaining
4455 about corrupt index files when mairix changed the contents of the search
4456 group). Using @code{nnmairix} should circumvent these problems.
4458 @code{nnmairix} is not really a mail back end---it's actually more like
4459 a wrapper, sitting between a ``real'' mail back end where mairix stores
4460 the searches and the Gnus front end. You can choose between three
4461 different mail back ends for the mairix folders: @code{nnml},
4462 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnimap}. @code{nnmairix} will call the mairix
4463 binary so that the search results are stored in folders named
4464 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>} on this mail back end, but it will
4465 present these folders in the Gnus front end only with @code{<NAME>}.
4466 You can use an existing mail back end where you already store your mail,
4467 but if you're uncomfortable with @code{nnmairix} creating new mail
4468 groups alongside your other mail, you can also create e.g. a new
4469 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml} server exclusively for mairix, but then
4470 make sure those servers do not accidentally receive your new mail
4471 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). A special case exists if you want to use
4472 mairix remotely on an IMAP server with @code{nnimap}---here the mairix
4473 folders and your other mail must be on the same @code{nnimap} back end.
4475 @node Setting up mairix
4476 @subsubsection Setting up mairix
4478 First: create a backup of your mail folders (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}).
4480 Setting up mairix is easy: simply create a @file{.mairixrc} file with
4481 (at least) the following entries:
4484 # Your Maildir/MH base folder
4488 This is the base folder for your mails. All the following directories
4489 are relative to this base folder. If you want to use @code{nnmairix}
4490 with @code{nnimap}, this base directory has to point to the mail
4491 directory where the @acronym{IMAP} server stores the mail folders!
4494 maildir= ... your maildir folders which should be indexed ...
4495 mh= ... your nnml/mh folders which should be indexed ...
4496 mbox = ... your mbox files which should be indexed ...
4499 This specifies all your mail folders and mbox files (relative to the
4500 base directory!) you want to index with mairix. Note that the
4501 @code{nnml} back end saves mails in MH format, so you have to put those
4502 directories in the @code{mh} line. See the example at the end of this
4503 section and mairixrc's man-page for further details.
4509 @vindex nnmairix-group-prefix
4510 This should make sure that you don't accidentally index the mairix
4511 search results. You can change the prefix of these folders with the
4512 variable @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
4515 mformat= ... 'maildir' or 'mh' ...
4516 database= ... location of database file ...
4519 The @code{format} setting specifies the output format for the mairix
4520 search folder. Set this to @code{mh} if you want to access search results
4521 with @code{nnml}. Otherwise choose @code{maildir}.
4523 To summarize, here is my shortened @file{.mairixrc} file as an example:
4527 maildir=.personal:.work:.logcheck:.sent
4528 mh=../Mail/nnml/*...
4529 mbox=../mboxmail/mailarchive_year*
4532 database=~/.mairixdatabase
4535 In this case, the base directory is @file{~/Maildir}, where all my Maildir
4536 folders are stored. As you can see, the folders are separated by
4537 colons. If you wonder why every folder begins with a dot: this is
4538 because I use Dovecot as @acronym{IMAP} server, which again uses
4539 @code{Maildir++} folders. For testing nnmairix, I also have some
4540 @code{nnml} mail, which is saved in @file{~/Mail/nnml}. Since this has
4541 to be specified relative to the @code{base} directory, the @code{../Mail}
4542 notation is needed. Note that the line ends in @code{*...}, which means
4543 to recursively scan all files under this directory. Without the three
4544 dots, the wildcard @code{*} will not work recursively. I also have some
4545 old mbox files with archived mail lying around in @file{~/mboxmail}.
4546 The other lines should be obvious.
4548 See the man page for @code{mairixrc} for details and further options,
4549 especially regarding wildcard usage, which may be a little different
4550 than you are used to.
4552 Now simply call @code{mairix} to create the index for the first time.
4553 Note that this may take a few minutes, but every following index will do
4554 the updates incrementally and hence is very fast.
4556 @node Configuring nnmairix
4557 @subsubsection Configuring nnmairix
4559 In group mode, type @kbd{G b c}
4560 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). This will ask you for all
4561 necessary information and create a @code{nnmairix} server as a foreign
4562 server. You will have to specify the following:
4567 The @strong{name} of the @code{nnmairix} server---choose whatever you
4571 The name of the @strong{back end server} where mairix should store its
4572 searches. This must be a full server name, like @code{nnml:mymail}.
4573 Just hit @kbd{TAB} to see the available servers. Currently, servers
4574 which are accessed through @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnimap} and
4575 @code{nnml} are supported. As explained above, for locally stored
4576 mails, this can be an existing server where you store your mails.
4577 However, you can also create e.g. a new @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml}
4578 server exclusively for @code{nnmairix} in your secondary select methods
4579 (@pxref{Finding the News}). If you use a secondary @code{nnml} server
4580 just for mairix, make sure that you explicitly set the server variable
4581 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}, or you might loose mail
4582 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). If you want to use mairix remotely on an
4583 @acronym{IMAP} server, you have to choose the corresponding
4584 @code{nnimap} server here.
4587 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-search-options
4588 The @strong{command} to call the mairix binary. This will usually just
4589 be @code{mairix}, but you can also choose something like @code{ssh
4590 SERVER mairix} if you want to call mairix remotely, e.g. on your
4591 @acronym{IMAP} server. If you want to add some default options to
4592 mairix, you could do this here, but better use the variable
4593 @code{nnmairix-mairix-search-options} instead.
4596 The name of the @strong{default search group}. This will be the group
4597 where all temporary mairix searches are stored, i.e. all searches which
4598 are not bound to permanent @code{nnmairix} groups. Choose whatever you
4602 If the mail back end is @code{nnimap} or @code{nnmaildir}, you will be
4603 asked if you work with @strong{Maildir++}, i.e. with hidden maildir
4604 folders (=beginning with a dot). For example, you have to answer
4605 @samp{yes} here if you work with the Dovecot @acronym{IMAP}
4606 server. Otherwise, you should answer @samp{no} here.
4610 @node nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
4611 @subsubsection nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
4618 @kindex G b c (Group)
4619 @findex nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group
4620 Creates @code{nnmairix} server and default search group for this server
4621 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). You should have done
4622 this by now (@pxref{Configuring nnmairix}).
4625 @kindex G b s (Group)
4626 @findex nnmairix-search
4627 Prompts for query which is then sent to the mairix binary. Search
4628 results are put into the default search group which is automatically
4629 displayed (@code{nnmairix-search}).
4632 @kindex G b m (Group)
4633 @findex nnmairix-widget-search
4634 Allows you to create a mairix search or a permanent group more
4635 comfortably using graphical widgets, similar to a customization
4636 group. Just try it to see how it works (@code{nnmairix-widget-search}).
4639 @kindex G b i (Group)
4640 @findex nnmairix-search-interactive
4641 Another command for creating a mairix query more comfortably, but uses
4642 only the minibuffer (@code{nnmairix-search-interactive}).
4645 @kindex G b g (Group)
4646 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group
4647 Creates a permanent group which is associated with a search query
4648 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group}). The @code{nnmairix} back end
4649 automatically calls mairix when you update this group with @kbd{g} or
4653 @kindex G b q (Group)
4654 @findex nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group
4655 Changes the search query for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor
4656 (@code{nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group}).
4659 @kindex G b t (Group)
4660 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group
4661 Toggles the 'threads' parameter for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor,
4662 i.e. if you want see the whole threads of the found messages
4663 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group}).
4666 @kindex G b u (Group)
4667 @findex nnmairix-update-database
4668 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-update-options
4669 Calls mairix binary for updating the database
4670 (@code{nnmairix-update-database}). The default parameters are @code{-F}
4671 and @code{-Q} for making this as fast as possible (see variable
4672 @code{nnmairix-mairix-update-options} for defining these default
4676 @kindex G b r (Group)
4677 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group
4678 Keep articles in this @code{nnmairix} group always read or unread, or leave the
4679 marks unchanged (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group}).
4682 @kindex G b d (Group)
4683 @findex nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group
4684 Recreate @code{nnmairix} group on the ``real'' mail back end
4685 (@code{nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group}). You can do this if
4686 you always get wrong article counts with a @code{nnmairix} group.
4689 @kindex G b a (Group)
4690 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group
4691 Toggles the @code{allow-fast} parameters for group under cursor
4692 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group}). The default
4693 behavior of @code{nnmairix} is to do a mairix search every time you
4694 update or enter the group. With the @code{allow-fast} parameter set,
4695 mairix will only be called when you explicitly update the group, but not
4696 upon entering. This makes entering the group faster, but it may also
4697 lead to dangling symlinks if something changed between updating and
4698 entering the group which is not yet in the mairix database.
4701 @kindex G b p (Group)
4702 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group
4703 Toggle marks propagation for this group
4704 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group}). (@pxref{Propagating
4708 @kindex G b o (Group)
4709 @findex nnmairix-propagate-marks
4710 Manually propagate marks (@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks}); needed only when
4711 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} is set to @code{nil}.
4720 @kindex $ m (Summary)
4721 @findex nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article
4722 Allows you to create a mairix query or group based on the current
4723 message using graphical widgets (same as @code{nnmairix-widget-search})
4724 (@code{nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article}).
4727 @kindex $ g (Summary)
4728 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message
4729 Interactively creates a new search group with query based on the current
4730 message, but uses the minibuffer instead of graphical widgets
4731 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message}).
4734 @kindex $ t (Summary)
4735 @findex nnmairix-search-thread-this-article
4736 Searches thread for the current article
4737 (@code{nnmairix-search-thread-this-article}). This is effectively a
4738 shortcut for calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{m:msgid} of the
4739 current article and enabled threads.
4742 @kindex $ f (Summary)
4743 @findex nnmairix-search-from-this-article
4744 Searches all messages from sender of the current article
4745 (@code{nnmairix-search-from-this-article}). This is a shortcut for
4746 calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{f:From}.
4749 @kindex $ o (Summary)
4750 @findex nnmairix-goto-original-article
4751 (Only in @code{nnmairix} groups!) Tries determine the group this article
4752 originally came from and displays the article in this group, so that
4753 e.g. replying to this article the correct posting styles/group
4754 parameters are applied (@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article}). This
4755 function will use the registry if available, but can also parse the
4756 article file name as a fallback method.
4759 @kindex $ u (Summary)
4760 @findex nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article
4761 Remove possibly existing tick mark from original article
4762 (@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article}). (@pxref{nnmairix
4767 @node Propagating marks
4768 @subsubsection Propagating marks
4770 First of: you really need a patched mairix binary for using the marks
4771 propagation feature efficiently. Otherwise, you would have to update
4772 the mairix database all the time. You can get the patch at
4774 @uref{http://www.randomsample.de/mairix-maildir-patch.tar}
4776 You need the mairix v0.21 source code for this patch; everything else
4777 is explained in the accompanied readme file. If you don't want to use
4778 marks propagation, you don't have to apply these patches, but they also
4779 fix some annoyances regarding changing maildir flags, so it might still
4782 With the patched mairix binary, you can use @code{nnmairix} as an
4783 alternative to mail splitting (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}). For
4784 example, instead of splitting all mails from @samp{david@@foobar.com}
4785 into a group, you can simply create a search group with the query
4786 @samp{f:david@@foobar.com}. This is actually what ``smart folders'' are
4787 all about: simply put everything in one mail folder and dynamically
4788 create searches instead of splitting. This is more flexible, since you
4789 can dynamically change your folders any time you want to. This also
4790 implies that you will usually read your mails in the @code{nnmairix}
4791 groups instead of your ``real'' mail groups.
4793 There is one problem, though: say you got a new mail from
4794 @samp{david@@foobar.com}; it will now show up in two groups, the
4795 ``real'' group (your INBOX, for example) and in the @code{nnmairix}
4796 search group (provided you have updated the mairix database). Now you
4797 enter the @code{nnmairix} group and read the mail. The mail will be
4798 marked as read, but only in the @code{nnmairix} group---in the ``real''
4799 mail group it will be still shown as unread.
4801 You could now catch up the mail group (@pxref{Group Data}), but this is
4802 tedious and error prone, since you may overlook mails you don't have
4803 created @code{nnmairix} groups for. Of course, you could first use
4804 @code{nnmairix-goto-original-article} (@pxref{nnmairix keyboard
4805 shortcuts}) and then read the mail in the original group, but that's
4806 even more cumbersome.
4808 Clearly, the easiest way would be if marks could somehow be
4809 automatically set for the original article. This is exactly what
4810 @emph{marks propagation} is about.
4812 Marks propagation is deactivated by default. You can activate it for a
4813 certain @code{nnmairix} group with
4814 @code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group} (bound to @kbd{G b
4815 p}). This function will warn you if you try to use it with your default
4816 search group; the reason is that the default search group is used for
4817 temporary searches, and it's easy to accidentally propagate marks from
4818 this group. However, you can ignore this warning if you really want to.
4820 With marks propagation enabled, all the marks you set in a @code{nnmairix}
4821 group should now be propagated to the original article. For example,
4822 you can now tick an article (by default with @kbd{!}) and this mark should
4823 magically be set for the original article, too.
4825 A few more remarks which you may or may not want to know:
4827 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close
4828 Marks will not be set immediately, but only upon closing a group. This
4829 not only makes marks propagation faster, it also avoids problems with
4830 dangling symlinks when dealing with maildir files (since changing flags
4831 will change the file name). You can also control when to propagate marks
4832 via @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} (see the doc-string for
4835 Obviously, @code{nnmairix} will have to look up the original group for every
4836 article you want to set marks for. If available, @code{nnmairix} will first use
4837 the registry for determining the original group. The registry is very
4838 fast, hence you should really, really enable the registry when using
4839 marks propagation. If you don't have to worry about RAM and disc space,
4840 set @code{gnus-registry-max-entries} to a large enough value; to be on
4841 the safe side, choose roughly the amount of mails you index with mairix.
4843 @vindex nnmairix-only-use-registry
4844 If you don't want to use the registry or the registry hasn't seen the
4845 original article yet, @code{nnmairix} will use an additional mairix
4846 search for determining the file name of the article. This, of course, is
4847 way slower than the registry---if you set hundreds or even thousands of
4848 marks this way, it might take some time. You can avoid this situation by
4849 setting @code{nnmairix-only-use-registry} to t.
4851 Maybe you also want to propagate marks the other way round, i.e. if you
4852 tick an article in a "real" mail group, you'd like to have the same
4853 article in a @code{nnmairix} group ticked, too. For several good
4854 reasons, this can only be done efficiently if you use maildir. To
4855 immediately contradict myself, let me mention that it WON'T work with
4856 @code{nnmaildir}, since @code{nnmaildir} stores the marks externally and
4857 not in the file name. Therefore, propagating marks to @code{nnmairix}
4858 groups will usually only work if you use an IMAP server which uses
4859 maildir as its file format.
4861 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups
4862 If you work with this setup, just set
4863 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t} and see what
4864 happens. If you don't like what you see, just set it to @code{nil} again. One
4865 problem might be that you get a wrong number of unread articles; this
4866 usually happens when you delete or expire articles in the original
4867 groups. When this happens, you can recreate the @code{nnmairix} group on the
4868 back end using @kbd{G b d}.
4870 @node nnmairix tips and tricks
4871 @subsubsection nnmairix tips and tricks
4877 @findex nnmairix-update-groups
4878 I put all my important mail groups at group level 1. The mairix groups
4879 have group level 5, so they do not get checked at start up (@pxref{Group
4882 I use the following to check for mails:
4885 (defun my-check-mail-mairix-update (level)
4887 ;; if no prefix given, set level=1
4888 (gnus-group-get-new-news (or level 1))
4889 (nnmairix-update-groups "mairixsearch" t t)
4890 (gnus-group-list-groups))
4892 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'my-check-mail-mairix-update)
4895 Instead of @samp{"mairixsearch"} use the name of your @code{nnmairix}
4896 server. See the doc string for @code{nnmairix-update-groups} for
4900 Example: search group for ticked articles
4902 For example, you can create a group for all ticked articles, where the
4903 articles always stay unread:
4905 Hit @kbd{G b g}, enter group name (e.g. @samp{important}), use
4906 @samp{F:f} as query and do not include threads.
4908 Now activate marks propagation for this group by using @kbd{G b p}. Then
4909 activate the always-unread feature by using @kbd{G b r} twice.
4911 So far so good---but how do you remove the tick marks in the @code{nnmairix}
4912 group? There are two options: You may simply use
4913 @code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article} (bound to @kbd{$ u}) to remove
4914 tick marks from the original article. The other possibility is to set
4915 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t}, but see the above
4916 comments about this option. If it works for you, the tick marks should
4917 also exist in the @code{nnmairix} group and you can remove them as usual,
4918 e.g. by marking an article as read.
4920 When you have removed a tick mark from the original article, this
4921 article should vanish from the @code{nnmairix} group after you have updated the
4922 mairix database and updated the group. Fortunately, there is a function
4923 for doing exactly that: @code{nnmairix-update-groups}. See the previous code
4924 snippet and the doc string for details.
4927 Dealing with auto-subscription of mail groups
4929 As described before, all @code{nnmairix} groups are in fact stored on
4930 the mail back end in the form @samp{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can
4931 see them when you enter the back end server in the server buffer. You
4932 should not subscribe these groups! Unfortunately, these groups will
4933 usually get @emph{auto-subscribed} when you use @code{nnmaildir} or
4934 @code{nnml}, i.e. you will suddenly see groups of the form
4935 @samp{zz_mairix*} pop up in your group buffer. If this happens to you,
4936 simply kill these groups with C-k. For avoiding this, turn off
4937 auto-subscription completely by setting the variable
4938 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups} to @code{nil} (@pxref{Filtering New
4939 Groups}), or if you like to keep this feature use the following kludge
4940 for turning it off for all groups beginning with @samp{zz_}:
4943 (setq gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
4944 "^\\(nnml\\|nnfolder\\|nnmbox\\|nnmh\\|nnbabyl\\|nnmaildir\\).*:\\([^z]\\|z$\\|\\z[^z]\\|zz$\\|zz[^_]\\|zz_$\\).*")
4949 @node nnmairix caveats
4950 @subsubsection nnmairix caveats
4954 You can create a secondary @code{nnml} server just for nnmairix, but then
4955 you have to explicitly set the corresponding server variable
4956 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}. Otherwise, new mail might get
4957 put into this secondary server (and would never show up again). Here's
4958 an example server definition:
4961 (nnml "mairix" (nnml-directory "mairix") (nnml-get-new-mail nil))
4964 (The @code{nnmaildir} back end also has a server variabe
4965 @code{get-new-mail}, but its default value is @code{nil}, so you don't
4966 have to explicitly set it if you use a @code{nnmaildir} server just for
4970 If you use the Gnus registry: don't use the registry with
4971 @code{nnmairix} groups (put them in
4972 @code{gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups}). Be @emph{extra careful} if
4973 you use @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}; mails which are
4974 split into @code{nnmairix} groups are usually gone for good as soon as
4975 you check the group for new mail (yes, it has happened to me...).
4978 Therefore: @emph{Never ever} put ``real'' mails into @code{nnmairix}
4979 groups (you shouldn't be able to, anyway).
4982 If you use the Gnus agent (@pxref{Gnus Unplugged}): don't agentize
4983 @code{nnmairix} groups (though I have no idea what happens if you do).
4986 mairix does only support us-ascii characters.
4989 @code{nnmairix} uses a rather brute force method to force Gnus to
4990 completely reread the group on the mail back end after mairix was
4991 called---it simply deletes and re-creates the group on the mail
4992 back end. So far, this has worked for me without any problems, and I
4993 don't see how @code{nnmairix} could delete other mail groups than its
4994 own, but anyway: you really should have a backup of your mail
4998 All necessary information is stored in the group parameters
4999 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). This has the advantage that no active file
5000 is needed, but also implies that when you kill a @code{nnmairix} group,
5001 it is gone for good.
5004 @findex nnmairix-purge-old-groups
5005 If you create and kill a lot of @code{nnmairix} groups, the
5006 ``zz_mairix-*'' groups will accumulate on the mail back end server. To
5007 delete old groups which are no longer needed, call
5008 @code{nnmairix-purge-old-groups}. Note that this assumes that you don't
5009 save any ``real'' mail in folders of the form
5010 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can change the prefix of
5011 @code{nnmairix} groups by changing the variable
5012 @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
5015 The following only applies if you @emph{don't} use the mentioned patch
5016 for mairix (@pxref{Propagating marks}):
5018 A problem can occur when using @code{nnmairix} with maildir folders and
5019 comes with the fact that maildir stores mail flags like @samp{Seen} or
5020 @samp{Replied} by appending chars @samp{S} and @samp{R} to the message
5021 file name, respectively. This implies that currently you would have to
5022 update the mairix database not only when new mail arrives, but also when
5023 mail flags are changing. The same applies to new mails which are indexed
5024 while they are still in the @samp{new} folder but then get moved to
5025 @samp{cur} when Gnus has seen the mail. If you don't update the database
5026 after this has happened, a mairix query can lead to symlinks pointing to
5027 non-existing files. In Gnus, these messages will usually appear with
5028 ``(none)'' entries in the header and can't be accessed. If this happens
5029 to you, using @kbd{G b u} and updating the group will usually fix this.
5033 @node Misc Group Stuff
5034 @section Misc Group Stuff
5037 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
5038 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
5039 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
5040 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
5041 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
5048 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
5049 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
5050 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
5053 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
5056 (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
5059 On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
5060 @xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
5064 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
5065 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
5066 @xref{Server Buffer}.
5070 @findex gnus-group-post-news
5071 Start composing a message (a news by default)
5072 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
5073 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5074 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
5075 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
5076 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
5080 @findex gnus-group-mail
5081 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
5082 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
5083 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5084 @xref{Composing Messages}.
5088 @findex gnus-group-news
5089 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
5090 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
5091 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
5093 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5094 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5095 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5096 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5097 for this to work though.
5101 @findex gnus-group-compact-group
5103 Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
5104 Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
5105 gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
5110 Variables for the group buffer:
5114 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
5115 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
5116 is called after the group buffer has been
5119 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
5120 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
5121 is called after the group buffer is
5122 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
5125 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
5126 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
5127 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
5128 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
5130 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
5131 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
5132 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
5133 whether they are empty or not.
5137 @node Scanning New Messages
5138 @subsection Scanning New Messages
5139 @cindex new messages
5140 @cindex scanning new news
5146 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
5147 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
5148 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
5149 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
5150 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
5151 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
5156 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
5157 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
5158 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
5159 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
5160 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
5161 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
5162 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
5164 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
5165 @cindex activating groups
5167 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
5168 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
5173 @findex gnus-group-restart
5174 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
5175 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
5176 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
5180 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
5181 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
5183 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
5184 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
5188 @node Group Information
5189 @subsection Group Information
5190 @cindex group information
5191 @cindex information on groups
5198 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
5199 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
5202 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
5203 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
5204 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
5205 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
5206 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
5207 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
5208 used for fetching the file.
5210 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
5211 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
5215 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
5216 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
5217 @cindex control message
5218 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
5219 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
5220 group if given a prefix argument.
5222 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
5223 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
5224 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
5225 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
5227 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
5228 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
5229 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
5233 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
5235 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
5236 @cindex describing groups
5237 @cindex group description
5238 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
5239 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
5240 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
5244 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
5245 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
5246 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
5253 @findex gnus-version
5254 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
5258 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
5259 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
5262 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
5265 @findex gnus-info-find-node
5266 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
5270 @node Group Timestamp
5271 @subsection Group Timestamp
5273 @cindex group timestamps
5275 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
5276 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
5277 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
5280 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
5283 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
5285 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
5286 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
5289 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5290 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
5293 This will result in lines looking like:
5296 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
5297 0: custom 19961002T012713
5300 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
5301 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
5305 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5306 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
5309 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
5310 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
5314 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5315 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
5316 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
5317 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
5319 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
5325 @subsection File Commands
5326 @cindex file commands
5332 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
5333 @vindex gnus-init-file
5334 @cindex reading init file
5335 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
5336 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
5340 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
5341 @cindex saving .newsrc
5342 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
5343 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
5344 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
5347 @c @kindex Z (Group)
5348 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
5349 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
5354 @node Sieve Commands
5355 @subsection Sieve Commands
5356 @cindex group sieve commands
5358 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
5359 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
5360 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
5361 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
5362 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
5364 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5365 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
5366 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
5367 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
5368 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
5369 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
5370 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
5371 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
5372 regenerate the Sieve script.
5374 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
5375 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
5376 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
5377 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
5378 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
5379 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
5380 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
5381 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
5382 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
5383 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
5386 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
5387 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
5392 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
5398 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
5399 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5400 @cindex generating sieve script
5401 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
5402 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
5406 @findex gnus-sieve-update
5407 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5408 @cindex updating sieve script
5409 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
5410 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
5411 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
5416 @node Summary Buffer
5417 @chapter Summary Buffer
5418 @cindex summary buffer
5420 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
5421 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
5423 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
5424 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
5426 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
5428 You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
5429 customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
5433 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
5434 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
5435 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
5437 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
5441 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
5442 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
5443 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
5444 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
5445 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
5446 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
5447 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
5448 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
5449 * Threading:: How threads are made.
5450 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
5451 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
5452 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
5453 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
5454 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
5455 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
5456 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
5457 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
5458 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
5459 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
5460 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
5461 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
5462 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
5463 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
5464 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
5465 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
5466 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
5467 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
5468 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
5469 or reselecting the current group.
5470 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
5471 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
5472 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
5473 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
5477 @node Summary Buffer Format
5478 @section Summary Buffer Format
5479 @cindex summary buffer format
5483 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
5484 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
5485 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
5491 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
5492 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
5493 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
5494 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
5497 @findex mail-extract-address-components
5498 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
5499 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
5500 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
5501 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
5502 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
5503 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
5504 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
5505 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
5506 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
5507 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
5510 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
5511 'mail-extract-address-components)
5514 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
5515 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
5516 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
5517 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
5520 @node Summary Buffer Lines
5521 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
5523 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5524 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
5525 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
5526 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
5527 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
5529 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
5530 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
5531 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
5532 possible to change this. Just write a new function
5533 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
5534 @xref{Positioning Point}.
5536 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
5538 The following format specification characters and extended format
5539 specification(s) are understood:
5545 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
5546 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
5548 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
5549 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
5550 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
5552 Full @code{From} header.
5554 The name (from the @code{From} header).
5556 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
5559 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
5560 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
5561 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
5562 may be more thorough.
5564 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
5567 Number of lines in the article.
5569 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
5570 in some methods (like nnfolder).
5572 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
5573 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
5575 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
5577 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
5578 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
5591 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
5592 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
5593 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
5594 line-drawing glyphs.
5596 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
5597 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
5598 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
5599 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
5601 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
5602 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
5603 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
5604 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
5606 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
5607 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
5608 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
5609 instead. The default is @samp{}.
5611 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
5612 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
5613 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
5615 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
5616 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
5617 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
5619 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
5620 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
5621 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
5623 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
5624 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
5625 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
5630 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
5631 pushes everything after it off the screen).
5633 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
5634 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
5636 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
5637 for adopted articles.
5639 One space for each thread level.
5641 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
5643 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
5646 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
5647 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
5648 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
5651 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
5653 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
5654 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
5655 default level. If the difference between
5656 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
5657 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
5665 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
5667 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
5673 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
5674 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
5676 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
5677 article has any children.
5683 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
5685 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
5686 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
5688 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
5689 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
5690 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
5691 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
5692 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
5693 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
5696 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
5697 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
5698 There can only be one such area.
5700 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
5701 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
5702 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
5703 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
5704 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
5705 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
5707 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
5708 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
5710 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
5713 @node To From Newsgroups
5714 @subsection To From Newsgroups
5718 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
5719 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
5720 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
5721 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
5722 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
5726 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
5727 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
5728 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
5732 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5733 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
5736 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
5737 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
5740 @findex gnus-extra-header
5741 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
5742 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
5743 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
5746 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
5750 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5751 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
5752 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
5753 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
5754 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
5755 headers are used instead.
5757 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
5758 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
5759 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
5760 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
5761 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
5762 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
5766 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
5767 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
5768 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
5769 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
5770 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
5771 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
5774 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5775 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
5776 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
5777 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
5779 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
5783 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5785 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
5786 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
5787 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
5788 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5792 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
5795 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
5796 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
5799 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
5800 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
5801 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
5807 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
5808 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
5811 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
5812 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
5814 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
5815 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
5816 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
5817 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
5819 Here are the elements you can play with:
5825 Unprefixed group name.
5827 Current article number.
5829 Current article score.
5833 Number of unread articles in this group.
5835 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
5838 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
5839 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
5840 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
5841 and no unselected ones.
5843 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
5844 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
5846 Subject of the current article.
5848 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
5850 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
5852 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5854 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5856 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
5858 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
5862 @node Summary Highlighting
5863 @subsection Summary Highlighting
5867 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5868 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5869 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
5870 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
5871 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5873 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
5874 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
5875 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
5876 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5878 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
5879 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
5880 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
5881 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
5883 @item gnus-summary-highlight
5884 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
5885 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
5886 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
5887 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
5888 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
5891 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
5892 ((> score default) . bold))
5894 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
5895 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
5899 @node Summary Maneuvering
5900 @section Summary Maneuvering
5901 @cindex summary movement
5903 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
5904 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
5906 None of these commands select articles.
5911 @kindex M-n (Summary)
5912 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
5913 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
5914 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
5915 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
5919 @kindex M-p (Summary)
5920 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
5921 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
5922 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
5923 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
5926 @kindex G g (Summary)
5927 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5928 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5929 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5932 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5933 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5934 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5935 to the group buffer.
5937 Variables related to summary movement:
5941 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5942 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5943 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5944 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5945 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5946 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5947 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5948 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5949 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5950 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5951 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5952 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5953 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5954 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5956 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5957 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5958 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5959 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5960 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5961 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5962 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5964 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5966 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5967 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5968 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5969 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5970 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5972 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5973 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5974 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5975 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5976 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5977 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5978 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5979 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5982 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5983 the given number of lines from the top.
5985 @item gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5986 @vindex gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5987 If non-@code{nil}, don't go to the next article when hitting
5988 @kbd{SPC}, and you're at the end of the article.
5993 @node Choosing Articles
5994 @section Choosing Articles
5995 @cindex selecting articles
5998 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5999 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
6003 @node Choosing Commands
6004 @subsection Choosing Commands
6006 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
6007 and they all select and display an article.
6009 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
6010 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
6014 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
6015 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
6016 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
6017 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
6019 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
6020 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
6021 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
6026 @kindex G n (Summary)
6027 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
6028 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
6029 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
6034 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
6035 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
6036 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
6041 @kindex G N (Summary)
6042 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
6043 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
6048 @kindex G P (Summary)
6049 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
6050 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
6053 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
6054 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
6055 Go to the next article with the same subject
6056 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
6059 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
6060 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
6061 Go to the previous article with the same subject
6062 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
6066 @kindex G f (Summary)
6068 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
6069 Go to the first unread article
6070 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
6074 @kindex G b (Summary)
6076 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
6077 Go to the unread article with the highest score
6078 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
6079 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
6084 @kindex G l (Summary)
6085 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
6086 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
6089 @kindex G o (Summary)
6090 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
6092 @cindex article history
6093 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
6094 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
6095 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
6096 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
6097 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
6098 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
6103 @kindex G j (Summary)
6104 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
6105 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
6106 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
6111 @node Choosing Variables
6112 @subsection Choosing Variables
6114 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
6117 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
6118 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
6119 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
6120 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
6121 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
6122 the server and display it in the article buffer.
6124 @item gnus-select-article-hook
6125 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
6126 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
6127 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
6128 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
6131 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
6132 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
6133 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
6134 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
6135 @findex gnus-unread-mark
6136 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
6137 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
6138 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
6139 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
6140 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
6141 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
6142 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
6143 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
6144 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
6149 @node Paging the Article
6150 @section Scrolling the Article
6151 @cindex article scrolling
6156 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
6157 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
6158 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
6159 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
6160 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
6162 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
6163 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
6164 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
6165 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
6166 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
6167 what is considered uninteresting with
6168 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
6169 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
6172 @kindex DEL (Summary)
6173 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
6174 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
6177 @kindex RET (Summary)
6178 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
6179 Scroll the current article one line forward
6180 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
6183 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
6184 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
6185 Scroll the current article one line backward
6186 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
6190 @kindex A g (Summary)
6192 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
6193 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
6194 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
6195 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
6196 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
6197 the way it came from the server.
6199 @cindex charset, view article with different charset
6200 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
6201 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
6202 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
6205 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
6210 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
6215 @kindex A < (Summary)
6216 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
6217 Scroll to the beginning of the article
6218 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
6223 @kindex A > (Summary)
6224 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
6225 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
6229 @kindex A s (Summary)
6231 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
6232 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
6233 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
6237 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
6238 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
6243 @node Reply Followup and Post
6244 @section Reply, Followup and Post
6247 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
6248 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
6249 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
6250 * Canceling and Superseding::
6254 @node Summary Mail Commands
6255 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
6257 @cindex composing mail
6259 Commands for composing a mail message:
6265 @kindex S r (Summary)
6267 @findex gnus-summary-reply
6268 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
6269 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
6270 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
6271 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
6276 @kindex S R (Summary)
6277 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
6278 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
6279 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
6280 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
6281 command uses the process/prefix convention.
6284 @kindex S w (Summary)
6285 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
6286 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
6287 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
6288 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
6289 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
6290 present, that's used instead.
6293 @kindex S W (Summary)
6294 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
6295 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
6296 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
6297 the process/prefix convention, but only uses the headers from the
6298 first article to determine the recipients.
6301 @kindex S v (Summary)
6302 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
6303 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
6304 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
6305 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
6306 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
6307 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
6310 @kindex S V (Summary)
6311 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
6312 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
6313 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
6314 command uses the process/prefix convention.
6317 @kindex S B r (Summary)
6318 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
6319 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
6320 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
6321 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
6322 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
6323 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
6324 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
6327 @kindex S B R (Summary)
6328 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
6329 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
6330 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
6331 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
6335 @kindex S o m (Summary)
6336 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
6337 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
6338 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
6339 Forward the current article to some other person
6340 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
6341 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
6342 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
6343 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
6344 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
6345 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
6346 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
6347 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
6348 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
6354 @kindex S m (Summary)
6355 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
6356 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
6357 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
6358 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
6359 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
6362 @kindex S i (Summary)
6363 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
6364 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
6365 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
6366 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
6368 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
6369 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
6370 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
6371 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
6372 for this to work though.
6375 @kindex S D b (Summary)
6376 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
6377 @cindex bouncing mail
6378 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
6379 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
6380 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
6381 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
6382 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
6383 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
6384 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
6385 very well fail, though.
6388 @kindex S D r (Summary)
6389 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
6390 Not to be confused with the previous command,
6391 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
6392 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
6393 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
6394 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
6395 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
6396 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
6397 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
6399 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
6400 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
6401 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
6402 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
6403 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
6405 This command understands the process/prefix convention
6406 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6409 @kindex S D e (Summary)
6410 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
6412 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
6413 if it were a new message before resending.
6416 @kindex S O m (Summary)
6417 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
6418 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
6419 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
6420 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6423 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
6424 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
6425 @cindex crossposting
6426 @cindex excessive crossposting
6427 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
6428 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
6430 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
6431 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
6432 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
6433 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
6434 command understands the process/prefix convention
6435 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
6439 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
6440 Manual}, for more information.
6443 @node Summary Post Commands
6444 @subsection Summary Post Commands
6446 @cindex composing news
6448 Commands for posting a news article:
6454 @kindex S p (Summary)
6455 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
6456 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
6457 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
6458 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
6459 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
6464 @kindex S f (Summary)
6465 @findex gnus-summary-followup
6466 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
6467 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
6471 @kindex S F (Summary)
6473 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
6474 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
6475 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
6476 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
6477 process/prefix convention.
6480 @kindex S n (Summary)
6481 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
6482 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
6483 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
6486 @kindex S N (Summary)
6487 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
6488 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
6489 message through mail and include the original message
6490 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
6491 the process/prefix convention.
6494 @kindex S o p (Summary)
6495 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
6496 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
6497 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
6498 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
6499 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
6500 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
6501 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
6502 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
6503 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
6504 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
6505 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
6506 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
6509 @kindex S O p (Summary)
6510 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
6512 @cindex making digests
6513 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
6514 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
6515 process/prefix convention.
6518 @kindex S u (Summary)
6519 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
6520 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
6521 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
6522 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
6525 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
6526 Manual}, for more information.
6529 @node Summary Message Commands
6530 @subsection Summary Message Commands
6534 @kindex S y (Summary)
6535 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
6536 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
6537 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
6538 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
6539 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6544 @node Canceling and Superseding
6545 @subsection Canceling Articles
6546 @cindex canceling articles
6547 @cindex superseding articles
6549 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
6550 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
6552 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
6554 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
6556 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
6557 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
6558 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
6559 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
6560 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
6561 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6563 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
6564 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
6567 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
6568 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
6569 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
6571 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
6572 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
6573 message, Message Manual}).
6575 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
6576 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
6577 your original article.
6579 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
6581 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
6582 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
6583 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
6586 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
6587 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
6588 have posted almost the same article twice.
6590 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
6591 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
6592 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
6593 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
6594 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
6595 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
6596 header by substituting one of those words for the word
6597 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
6598 you would do normally. The previous article will be
6599 canceled/superseded.
6601 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
6603 @node Delayed Articles
6604 @section Delayed Articles
6605 @cindex delayed sending
6606 @cindex send delayed
6608 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
6609 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
6610 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
6611 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
6614 (gnus-delay-initialize)
6617 @findex gnus-delay-article
6618 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
6619 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
6620 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
6621 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
6625 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
6626 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
6627 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
6628 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
6631 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
6632 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
6633 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
6636 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
6637 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
6638 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
6639 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
6640 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
6641 that means a time tomorrow.
6644 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
6645 couple of variables:
6648 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
6649 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
6650 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
6651 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
6653 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
6654 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
6655 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
6656 formats described above.
6658 @item gnus-delay-group
6659 @vindex gnus-delay-group
6660 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
6661 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
6662 value is @code{"delayed"}.
6664 @item gnus-delay-header
6665 @vindex gnus-delay-header
6666 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
6667 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
6668 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
6671 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
6672 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
6673 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
6674 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
6675 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
6677 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
6678 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
6679 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
6680 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
6681 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
6682 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
6683 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
6686 @item gnus-delay-initialize
6687 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
6688 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
6689 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
6690 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
6691 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
6692 argument is ignored.
6694 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
6695 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
6696 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
6699 When delaying an article with @kbd{C-c C-j}, Message mode will
6700 automatically add a @code{"Date"} header with the current time. In
6701 many cases you probably want the @code{"Date"} header to reflect the
6702 time the message is sent instead. To do this, you have to delete
6703 @code{Date} from @code{message-draft-headers}.
6706 @node Marking Articles
6707 @section Marking Articles
6708 @cindex article marking
6709 @cindex article ticking
6712 There are several marks you can set on an article.
6714 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
6715 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
6716 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
6718 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
6721 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
6725 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
6726 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
6727 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
6728 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
6729 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
6730 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
6734 @node Unread Articles
6735 @subsection Unread Articles
6737 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
6742 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
6743 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
6745 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
6746 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
6747 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
6748 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
6749 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
6750 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
6751 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
6754 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
6755 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
6757 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
6758 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
6759 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
6760 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
6764 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
6765 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
6767 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
6772 @subsection Read Articles
6773 @cindex expirable mark
6775 All the following marks mark articles as read.
6780 @vindex gnus-del-mark
6781 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
6782 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
6785 @vindex gnus-read-mark
6786 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
6789 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
6790 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
6791 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
6794 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
6795 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
6798 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
6799 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
6802 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
6803 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
6806 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
6807 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
6810 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
6811 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
6814 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
6815 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
6819 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
6820 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
6821 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6825 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
6826 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
6828 One more special mark, though:
6832 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
6833 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
6835 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
6836 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
6837 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
6838 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
6844 @subsection Other Marks
6845 @cindex process mark
6848 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
6854 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
6855 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
6856 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
6857 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
6858 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
6861 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
6862 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
6863 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
6864 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
6867 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
6868 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
6869 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
6872 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
6873 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
6874 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6877 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
6878 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
6879 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
6880 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
6883 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
6884 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
6885 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
6886 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
6887 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
6888 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
6891 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
6892 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
6893 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
6894 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
6897 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
6898 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
6899 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
6900 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
6901 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
6905 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
6906 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
6907 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
6908 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
6909 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
6910 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
6913 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
6914 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
6915 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
6916 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
6917 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
6918 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
6922 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
6923 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
6924 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
6925 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
6926 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
6929 @vindex gnus-process-mark
6930 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
6931 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
6932 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
6933 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
6934 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6938 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6939 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6940 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6942 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6943 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6944 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6948 @subsection Setting Marks
6949 @cindex setting marks
6951 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6956 @kindex M c (Summary)
6957 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6958 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6959 @cindex mark as unread
6960 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6961 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6967 @kindex M t (Summary)
6968 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6969 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6970 @xref{Article Caching}.
6975 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6976 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6977 Mark the current article as dormant
6978 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6982 @kindex M d (Summary)
6984 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6985 Mark the current article as read
6986 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6990 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6991 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6992 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6997 @kindex M k (Summary)
6998 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6999 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
7000 and then select the next unread article
7001 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
7005 @kindex M K (Summary)
7006 @kindex C-k (Summary)
7007 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
7008 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
7009 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
7012 @kindex M C (Summary)
7013 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
7014 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
7015 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
7018 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
7019 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
7020 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
7021 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
7024 @kindex M H (Summary)
7025 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
7026 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
7027 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
7030 @kindex M h (Summary)
7031 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
7032 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
7033 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
7036 @kindex C-w (Summary)
7037 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
7038 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
7039 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
7042 @kindex M V k (Summary)
7043 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
7044 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
7045 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
7049 @kindex M e (Summary)
7051 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
7052 Mark the current article as expirable
7053 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
7056 @kindex M b (Summary)
7057 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
7058 Set a bookmark in the current article
7059 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
7062 @kindex M B (Summary)
7063 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
7064 Remove the bookmark from the current article
7065 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
7068 @kindex M V c (Summary)
7069 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
7070 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
7071 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
7074 @kindex M V u (Summary)
7075 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
7076 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
7077 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
7080 @kindex M V m (Summary)
7081 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
7082 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
7083 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
7084 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
7087 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
7088 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
7089 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
7090 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
7091 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
7092 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
7093 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
7094 The default is @code{t}.
7097 @node Generic Marking Commands
7098 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
7100 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
7101 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
7102 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
7103 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
7104 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
7107 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
7108 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
7111 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
7112 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
7113 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
7114 to list in this manual.
7116 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
7117 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
7118 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
7119 article, you could say something like:
7123 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
7124 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
7125 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
7133 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
7134 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
7138 @node Setting Process Marks
7139 @subsection Setting Process Marks
7140 @cindex setting process marks
7142 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
7143 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
7144 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
7145 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
7146 articles into the cache. For more information,
7147 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
7154 @kindex M P p (Summary)
7155 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
7156 Mark the current article with the process mark
7157 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
7158 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
7162 @kindex M P u (Summary)
7163 @kindex M-# (Summary)
7164 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
7165 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
7168 @kindex M P U (Summary)
7169 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
7170 Remove the process mark from all articles
7171 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
7174 @kindex M P i (Summary)
7175 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
7176 Invert the list of process marked articles
7177 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
7180 @kindex M P R (Summary)
7181 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
7182 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
7183 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
7186 @kindex M P G (Summary)
7187 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
7188 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
7189 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
7192 @kindex M P r (Summary)
7193 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
7194 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
7197 @kindex M P g (Summary)
7198 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
7199 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
7202 @kindex M P t (Summary)
7203 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7204 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
7205 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7208 @kindex M P T (Summary)
7209 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7210 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
7211 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7214 @kindex M P v (Summary)
7215 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
7216 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
7217 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
7220 @kindex M P s (Summary)
7221 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
7222 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
7225 @kindex M P S (Summary)
7226 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
7227 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
7228 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
7231 @kindex M P a (Summary)
7232 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
7233 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
7236 @kindex M P b (Summary)
7237 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
7238 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
7239 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
7242 @kindex M P k (Summary)
7243 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
7244 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
7245 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
7248 @kindex M P y (Summary)
7249 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
7250 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
7251 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
7254 @kindex M P w (Summary)
7255 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
7256 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
7257 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
7261 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
7262 set process marks based on article body contents.
7269 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
7270 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
7271 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
7274 Limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched from
7275 the servers. These commands don't query the server for additional
7282 @kindex / / (Summary)
7283 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
7284 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
7285 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
7289 @kindex / a (Summary)
7290 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
7291 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
7292 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
7296 @kindex / R (Summary)
7297 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
7298 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
7299 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
7303 @kindex / A (Summary)
7304 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-address
7305 Limit the summary buffer to articles in which contents of From, To or Cc
7306 header match a given address (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-address}). If
7307 given a prefix, exclude matching articles.
7310 @kindex / S (Summary)
7311 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons
7312 Limit the summary buffer to articles that aren't part of any displayed
7313 threads (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons}). If given a prefix,
7314 limit to articles that are part of displayed threads.
7317 @kindex / x (Summary)
7318 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
7319 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
7320 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
7321 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
7326 @kindex / u (Summary)
7328 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
7329 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
7330 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
7331 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
7332 dormant articles will also be excluded.
7335 @kindex / m (Summary)
7336 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
7337 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
7338 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
7341 @kindex / t (Summary)
7342 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
7343 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
7344 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
7345 articles younger than that number of days.
7348 @kindex / n (Summary)
7349 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
7350 With prefix @samp{n}, limit the summary buffer to the next @samp{n}
7351 articles. If not given a prefix, use the process marked articles
7352 instead. (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}).
7355 @kindex / w (Summary)
7356 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
7357 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
7358 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
7362 @kindex / . (Summary)
7363 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
7364 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
7365 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
7368 @kindex / v (Summary)
7369 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
7370 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
7371 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
7374 @kindex / p (Summary)
7375 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
7376 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
7377 group parameter predicate
7378 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
7379 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
7382 @kindex / r (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
7384 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
7385 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
7390 @kindex M S (Summary)
7391 @kindex / E (Summary)
7392 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
7393 Include all expunged articles in the limit
7394 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
7397 @kindex / D (Summary)
7398 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
7399 Include all dormant articles in the limit
7400 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
7403 @kindex / * (Summary)
7404 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
7405 Include all cached articles in the limit
7406 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
7409 @kindex / d (Summary)
7410 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
7411 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
7412 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
7415 @kindex / M (Summary)
7416 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
7417 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
7420 @kindex / T (Summary)
7421 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
7422 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
7425 @kindex / c (Summary)
7426 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
7427 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
7428 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
7431 @kindex / C (Summary)
7432 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
7433 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
7434 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
7435 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
7438 @kindex / b (Summary)
7439 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies
7440 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have bodies that match a
7441 certain regexp (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies}). If given a
7442 prefix, reverse the limit. This command is quite slow since it
7443 requires selecting each article to find the matches.
7446 @kindex / h (Summary)
7447 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-headers
7448 Like the previous command, only limit to headers instead
7449 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-headers}).
7454 The following commands aren't limiting commands, but use the @kbd{/}
7459 @kindex / N (Summary)
7460 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
7461 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
7462 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
7465 @kindex / o (Summary)
7466 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
7467 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
7468 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
7476 @cindex article threading
7478 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
7479 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
7480 hierarchical fashion.
7482 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
7483 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
7484 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
7485 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
7486 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
7487 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
7488 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
7490 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
7494 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
7497 A tree-like article structure.
7500 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
7503 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
7504 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
7505 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
7506 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
7507 called loose threads.
7509 @item thread gathering
7510 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
7512 @item sparse threads
7513 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
7514 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
7520 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
7521 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
7525 @node Customizing Threading
7526 @subsection Customizing Threading
7527 @cindex customizing threading
7530 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
7531 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
7532 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
7533 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
7538 @subsubsection Loose Threads
7541 @cindex loose threads
7544 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
7545 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
7546 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
7547 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
7548 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
7549 read or killed the root in a previous session.
7551 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
7552 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
7553 There are four possible values:
7557 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
7558 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
7559 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
7560 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
7561 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
7566 @cindex adopting articles
7571 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
7572 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
7573 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
7574 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
7577 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
7578 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
7579 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
7580 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
7581 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
7582 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
7583 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
7584 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7585 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
7586 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
7589 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
7590 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
7591 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
7595 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
7596 display them after one another.
7599 Don't gather loose threads.
7602 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
7603 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
7604 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
7605 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
7606 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
7607 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
7608 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
7609 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
7610 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
7611 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
7612 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
7614 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
7615 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
7616 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
7619 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
7620 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
7621 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
7622 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
7623 simplification is used.
7625 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7626 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7627 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
7628 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
7630 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
7632 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7638 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
7639 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
7640 "answer" "reference" "announce"
7641 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
7646 (mapconcat 'identity
7647 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
7649 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
7652 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
7655 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
7656 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
7657 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
7658 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
7659 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
7660 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
7662 Useful functions to put in this list include:
7665 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
7666 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
7667 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
7669 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
7670 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
7673 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
7674 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
7675 Remove excessive whitespace.
7677 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
7678 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
7679 Remove all whitespace.
7682 You may also write your own functions, of course.
7685 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
7686 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
7687 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
7688 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
7689 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
7690 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
7691 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
7692 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
7694 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7695 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7696 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
7697 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
7698 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
7699 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
7700 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
7701 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
7702 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
7706 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
7707 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
7708 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
7709 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
7711 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
7712 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
7713 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
7716 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
7720 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7721 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
7727 @node Filling In Threads
7728 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
7731 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
7732 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
7733 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
7734 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
7735 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
7736 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
7737 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
7738 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
7739 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
7740 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
7741 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
7742 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
7745 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
7746 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
7747 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
7749 The server has to support @acronym{NOV} for any of this to work.
7751 @cindex Gmane, gnus-fetch-old-headers
7752 This feature can seriously impact performance it ignores all locally
7753 cached header entries. Setting it to @code{t} for groups for a server
7754 that doesn't expire articles (such as news.gmane.org), leads to very
7755 slow summary generation.
7757 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7758 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7759 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
7762 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
7763 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
7764 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
7765 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
7766 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
7767 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
7768 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
7769 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
7770 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
7771 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
7772 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
7773 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
7774 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
7775 @code{nil} by default.
7777 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
7778 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
7779 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
7780 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
7781 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
7782 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
7785 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
7786 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
7787 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
7792 @node More Threading
7793 @subsubsection More Threading
7796 @item gnus-show-threads
7797 @vindex gnus-show-threads
7798 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
7799 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
7800 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
7801 slower and more awkward.
7803 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7804 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7805 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
7808 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
7809 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
7810 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
7815 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7816 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
7817 gnus-article-unseen-p))
7820 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
7821 unread, but you get my drift.)
7824 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
7825 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
7826 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
7827 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
7828 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
7829 threads are expunged.
7831 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
7832 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
7833 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
7836 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7837 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7838 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
7839 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
7840 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
7841 result in a new thread.
7843 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
7844 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
7845 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
7848 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7849 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7850 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
7851 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
7852 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
7853 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
7854 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
7855 Setting this variable to an alternate value
7856 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
7857 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
7858 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
7863 @node Low-Level Threading
7864 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
7868 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
7869 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
7870 Hook run before parsing any headers.
7872 @item gnus-alter-header-function
7873 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
7874 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
7875 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
7876 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
7877 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
7878 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
7879 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
7880 meaningful. Here's one example:
7883 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
7885 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
7886 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
7888 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
7890 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
7897 @node Thread Commands
7898 @subsection Thread Commands
7899 @cindex thread commands
7905 @kindex T k (Summary)
7906 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
7907 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
7908 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
7909 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
7910 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
7915 @kindex T l (Summary)
7916 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
7917 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
7918 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
7919 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
7922 @kindex T i (Summary)
7923 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
7924 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
7925 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
7928 @kindex T # (Summary)
7929 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7930 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
7931 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7934 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
7935 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7936 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
7937 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7940 @kindex T T (Summary)
7941 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
7942 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
7945 @kindex T s (Summary)
7946 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
7947 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
7948 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
7951 @kindex T h (Summary)
7952 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
7953 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
7956 @kindex T S (Summary)
7957 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
7958 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
7961 @kindex T H (Summary)
7962 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
7963 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
7966 @kindex T t (Summary)
7967 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
7968 Re-thread the current article's thread
7969 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
7970 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
7973 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
7974 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
7975 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
7976 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7979 @kindex T M-^ (Summary)
7980 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-children
7981 Make the current article the parent of the marked articles
7982 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-children}).
7986 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
7987 understand the numeric prefix.
7992 @kindex T n (Summary)
7994 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
7996 @kindex M-down (Summary)
7997 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
7998 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
8001 @kindex T p (Summary)
8003 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
8005 @kindex M-up (Summary)
8006 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
8007 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
8010 @kindex T d (Summary)
8011 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
8012 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
8015 @kindex T u (Summary)
8016 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
8017 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
8020 @kindex T o (Summary)
8021 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
8022 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
8025 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
8026 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
8027 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
8028 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
8029 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
8030 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
8031 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
8032 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
8033 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
8034 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
8035 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
8036 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
8040 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
8041 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
8043 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
8044 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
8045 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
8046 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
8047 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
8048 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
8049 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
8050 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
8051 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
8052 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
8053 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
8054 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
8055 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
8056 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
8057 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
8059 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
8060 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
8061 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
8062 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
8063 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date},
8064 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
8065 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
8066 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
8067 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
8068 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
8070 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
8071 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
8072 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
8074 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
8075 last function in the list. You should probably always include
8076 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
8077 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
8078 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
8079 ascending article order.
8081 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
8082 by number, you could do something like:
8085 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
8086 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
8087 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
8088 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
8091 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
8092 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
8093 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
8094 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
8095 which the articles arrived.
8097 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
8101 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
8102 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
8103 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
8106 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
8107 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
8108 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
8109 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
8112 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
8113 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
8114 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-date
8115 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
8116 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
8117 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
8118 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
8119 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
8120 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-number
8121 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
8122 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
8123 variable. It is very similar to the
8124 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
8125 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
8126 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
8127 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
8128 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
8129 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
8130 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
8132 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
8136 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
8137 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
8138 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
8141 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
8142 @xref{Group Parameters}.
8145 @node Asynchronous Fetching
8146 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
8147 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
8148 @cindex article pre-fetch
8151 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
8152 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
8153 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
8154 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
8155 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
8157 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
8158 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
8160 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
8161 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
8162 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
8163 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
8164 connection is blocked.
8166 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
8167 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
8168 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
8169 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
8171 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
8172 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
8173 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
8174 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
8177 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
8180 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
8181 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
8182 happen automatically.
8184 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
8185 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
8186 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
8187 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
8188 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
8189 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
8190 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
8192 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
8193 @findex gnus-async-unread-p
8194 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
8195 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
8196 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
8197 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
8198 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-unread-p}, which
8199 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
8200 article data structure as the only parameter.
8202 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
8203 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
8206 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
8207 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
8208 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
8209 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
8212 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
8215 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
8216 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
8217 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
8219 @vindex gnus-async-post-fetch-function
8220 @findex gnus-html-prefetch-images
8221 After an article has been prefetched, this
8222 @code{gnus-async-post-fetch-function} will be called. The buffer will
8223 be narrowed to the region of the article that was fetched. A useful
8224 value would be @code{gnus-html-prefetch-images}, which will prefetch
8225 and store images referenced in the article, so that you don't have to
8226 wait for them to be fetched when you read the article. This is useful
8227 for @acronym{HTML} messages that have external images.
8229 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
8230 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
8231 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
8232 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
8236 Remove articles when they are read.
8239 Remove articles when exiting the group.
8242 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
8244 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
8245 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
8246 @c from the next group.
8249 @node Article Caching
8250 @section Article Caching
8251 @cindex article caching
8254 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
8255 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
8256 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
8257 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
8258 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
8260 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
8262 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8263 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
8264 @vindex gnus-use-cache
8265 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
8266 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
8267 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
8268 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
8269 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
8271 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
8272 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
8273 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
8274 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
8275 as dormant, and don't worry.
8277 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
8279 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
8280 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
8281 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
8282 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
8283 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
8284 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
8285 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
8286 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
8287 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
8288 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
8290 @findex gnus-jog-cache
8291 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
8292 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
8293 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
8294 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
8295 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
8296 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
8297 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
8298 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
8299 not then be downloaded by this command.
8301 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
8302 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
8303 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
8304 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
8305 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
8306 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
8308 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
8309 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
8310 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
8311 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
8312 variables, the group is not cached.
8314 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
8315 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
8316 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
8317 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
8318 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
8319 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
8320 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
8321 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
8322 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
8325 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
8326 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
8327 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
8328 where, isn't that cool?
8330 @node Persistent Articles
8331 @section Persistent Articles
8332 @cindex persistent articles
8334 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
8335 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
8336 useful in my opinion.
8338 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
8339 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
8340 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
8341 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
8342 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
8343 the expiry going on at the news server.
8345 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
8346 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
8347 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
8353 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
8354 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
8357 @kindex M-* (Summary)
8358 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
8359 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
8360 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
8364 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
8366 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
8367 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
8368 interested in persistent articles:
8371 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
8374 @node Sticky Articles
8375 @section Sticky Articles
8376 @cindex sticky articles
8378 When you select an article the current article buffer will be reused
8379 according to the value of the variable
8380 @code{gnus-single-article-buffer}. If its value is non-@code{nil} (the
8381 default) all articles reuse the same article buffer. Else each group
8382 has its own article buffer.
8384 This implies that it's not possible to have more than one article buffer
8385 in a group at a time. But sometimes you might want to display all the
8386 latest emails from your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle and
8387 your 17 cousins to coordinate the next christmas party.
8389 That's where sticky articles come in handy. A sticky article buffer
8390 basically is a normal article buffer, but it won't be reused when you
8391 select another article. You can make an article sticky with:
8395 @kindex A S (Summary)
8396 @findex gnus-sticky-article
8397 Make the current article sticky. If a prefix arg is given, ask for a
8398 name for this sticky article buffer.
8401 To close a sticky article buffer you can use these commands:
8407 Puts this sticky article buffer at the end of the list of all buffers.
8411 @findex gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffer
8412 Kills this sticky article buffer.
8415 To kill all sticky article buffers you can use:
8417 @defun gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffers ARG
8418 Kill all sticky article buffers.
8419 If a prefix ARG is given, ask for confirmation.
8422 @node Article Backlog
8423 @section Article Backlog
8425 @cindex article backlog
8427 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
8428 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
8429 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
8430 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
8431 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
8432 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
8433 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
8434 increase memory usage some.
8436 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
8437 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
8438 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
8439 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
8440 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
8441 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
8442 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
8444 The default value is 20.
8447 @node Saving Articles
8448 @section Saving Articles
8449 @cindex saving articles
8451 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
8452 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
8453 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
8454 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
8455 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
8457 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
8458 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
8459 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8461 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
8462 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
8463 unwanted headers before saving the article.
8465 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
8466 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
8467 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
8468 deleted before saving.
8474 @kindex O o (Summary)
8476 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
8477 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
8478 Save the current article using the default article saver
8479 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
8482 @kindex O m (Summary)
8483 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
8484 Save the current article in a Unix mail box (mbox) file
8485 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
8488 @kindex O r (Summary)
8489 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
8490 Save the current article in Rmail format
8491 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}). This is mbox since Emacs 23,
8492 Babyl in older versions.
8495 @kindex O f (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
8497 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
8498 Save the current article in plain file format
8499 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
8502 @kindex O F (Summary)
8503 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
8504 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
8505 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
8508 @kindex O b (Summary)
8509 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
8510 Save the current article body in plain file format
8511 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
8514 @kindex O h (Summary)
8515 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
8516 Save the current article in mh folder format
8517 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
8520 @kindex O v (Summary)
8521 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
8522 Save the current article in a VM folder
8523 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
8527 @kindex O p (Summary)
8529 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
8530 @vindex gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command
8531 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
8532 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
8533 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
8534 complete headers in the piped output. The symbolic prefix @code{r} is
8535 special; it lets this command pipe a raw article including all headers.
8536 The @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} variable can be set
8537 to a string containing the default command and options (default
8541 @kindex O P (Summary)
8542 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
8543 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
8544 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
8545 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
8546 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
8547 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
8548 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
8552 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
8553 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
8554 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
8555 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
8556 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
8557 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
8558 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
8559 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
8560 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
8561 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
8562 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
8563 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
8567 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
8568 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
8569 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the eight ready-made
8570 functions below, or you can create your own.
8574 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
8575 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
8576 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
8577 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
8578 This is the default format, that used by the Rmail package. Since Emacs
8579 23, Rmail uses standard mbox format. Before this, it used the
8580 @dfn{Babyl} format. Accordingly, this command writes mbox format since
8581 Emacs 23, unless appending to an existing Babyl file. In older versions
8582 of Emacs, it always uses Babyl format. Uses the function in the
8583 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8584 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
8586 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
8587 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
8588 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
8589 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
8590 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8591 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
8593 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
8594 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
8595 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
8596 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
8597 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
8598 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8599 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8601 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
8602 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
8603 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
8604 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
8605 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8606 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8608 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
8609 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
8610 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
8611 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8612 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8614 @item gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
8615 @findex gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
8616 Write the article body straight to an ordinary file. The file is
8617 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
8618 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8619 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8621 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
8622 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
8623 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
8624 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
8625 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
8628 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
8629 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
8630 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
8631 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
8632 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
8634 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
8635 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
8636 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
8637 reader to use this setting.
8639 @item gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
8640 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
8641 Pipe the article to a shell command. This function takes optional two
8642 arguments COMMAND and RAW. Valid values for COMMAND include:
8646 The executable command name and possibly arguments.
8648 You will be prompted for the command in the minibuffer.
8649 @item the symbol @code{default}@*
8650 It will be replaced with the command which the variable
8651 @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} holds or the command
8652 last used for saving.
8655 Non-@code{nil} value for RAW overrides @code{:decode} and
8656 @code{:headers} properties (see below) and the raw article including all
8657 headers will be piped.
8660 The symbol of each function may have the following properties:
8664 The value non-@code{nil} means save decoded articles. This is
8665 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-save-in-file},
8666 @code{gnus-summary-save-body-in-file},
8667 @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file},
8668 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}, and
8669 @code{gnus-summary-save-in-pipe}.
8672 The value specifies an alternative function which appends, not
8673 overwrites, articles to a file. This implies that when saving many
8674 articles at a time, @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} is bound to
8675 @code{t} and all articles are saved in a single file. This is
8676 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file} and
8677 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
8680 The value specifies the symbol of a variable of which the value
8681 specifies headers to be saved. If it is omitted,
8682 @code{gnus-save-all-headers} and @code{gnus-saved-headers} control what
8683 headers should be saved.
8686 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
8687 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
8688 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
8689 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
8692 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
8693 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
8694 available functions that generate names:
8698 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
8699 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
8700 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
8702 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
8703 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
8704 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
8706 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
8707 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
8708 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8710 @item gnus-plain-save-name
8711 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
8712 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8714 @item gnus-sender-save-name
8715 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
8716 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
8719 @vindex gnus-split-methods
8720 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
8721 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
8722 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
8723 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
8727 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
8728 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
8729 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
8730 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
8733 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
8734 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
8735 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
8736 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
8737 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
8738 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
8739 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
8740 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
8741 called returns a string or a list of strings.
8743 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
8744 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
8745 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
8746 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
8748 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
8749 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
8750 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
8753 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
8754 lots of mail groups called things like
8755 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
8756 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
8757 following will do just that:
8760 (defun my-save-name (group)
8761 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
8762 (substring group (match-end 0))))
8764 (setq gnus-split-methods
8765 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
8770 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8771 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
8772 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
8773 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
8774 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
8775 all the files in the top level directory
8776 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
8777 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
8778 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
8779 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
8781 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
8782 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
8783 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
8784 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
8785 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
8788 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
8792 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
8793 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
8794 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
8797 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
8798 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
8799 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
8800 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
8803 @node Decoding Articles
8804 @section Decoding Articles
8805 @cindex decoding articles
8807 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
8808 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
8811 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
8812 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
8813 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
8814 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
8815 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
8816 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
8820 @cindex article series
8821 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
8822 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
8823 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
8824 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
8825 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
8827 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
8828 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
8829 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
8831 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
8832 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
8833 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
8835 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
8836 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
8837 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
8840 @node Uuencoded Articles
8841 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
8843 @cindex uuencoded articles
8848 @kindex X u (Summary)
8849 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
8850 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
8851 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
8854 @kindex X U (Summary)
8855 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
8856 Uudecodes and saves the current series
8857 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8860 @kindex X v u (Summary)
8861 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
8862 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
8865 @kindex X v U (Summary)
8866 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
8867 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
8868 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
8872 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
8873 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
8874 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
8875 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
8876 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8878 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
8879 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
8880 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
8881 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
8884 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
8885 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
8886 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
8887 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
8888 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
8889 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
8893 @node Shell Archives
8894 @subsection Shell Archives
8896 @cindex shell archives
8897 @cindex shared articles
8899 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
8900 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
8901 some commands to deal with these:
8906 @kindex X s (Summary)
8907 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
8908 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
8911 @kindex X S (Summary)
8912 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
8913 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
8916 @kindex X v s (Summary)
8917 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
8918 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
8921 @kindex X v S (Summary)
8922 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
8923 Unshars, views and saves the current series
8924 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
8928 @node PostScript Files
8929 @subsection PostScript Files
8935 @kindex X p (Summary)
8936 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
8937 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
8940 @kindex X P (Summary)
8941 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
8942 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
8943 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
8946 @kindex X v p (Summary)
8947 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
8948 View the current PostScript series
8949 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
8952 @kindex X v P (Summary)
8953 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
8954 View and save the current PostScript series
8955 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
8960 @subsection Other Files
8964 @kindex X o (Summary)
8965 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
8966 Save the current series
8967 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
8970 @kindex X b (Summary)
8971 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
8972 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
8973 doesn't really work yet.
8976 @kindex X Y (Summary)
8977 @findex gnus-uu-decode-yenc
8978 yEnc-decode the current series and save it (@code{gnus-uu-decode-yenc}).
8982 @node Decoding Variables
8983 @subsection Decoding Variables
8985 Adjective, not verb.
8988 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
8989 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
8990 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
8994 @node Rule Variables
8995 @subsubsection Rule Variables
8996 @cindex rule variables
8998 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
8999 variables are of the form
9002 (list '(regexp1 command2)
9009 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9010 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9012 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
9013 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
9016 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9017 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
9020 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
9021 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
9022 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
9023 user and default view rules.
9025 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
9026 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
9027 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
9032 @node Other Decode Variables
9033 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
9036 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
9038 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
9039 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
9040 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
9041 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
9042 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
9046 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
9047 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
9050 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
9051 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
9052 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
9055 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
9056 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
9057 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
9058 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
9059 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
9062 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
9063 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
9064 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
9066 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
9067 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
9068 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
9069 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
9070 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
9073 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
9074 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
9075 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
9077 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
9078 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
9079 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
9080 looking for files to display.
9082 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
9083 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
9084 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
9087 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
9088 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
9089 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
9092 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
9093 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
9094 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
9097 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
9098 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
9099 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
9102 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
9103 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
9104 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
9105 decoded articles as unread.
9107 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
9108 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
9109 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
9110 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
9112 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
9113 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
9114 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
9116 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
9117 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
9119 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
9120 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
9121 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
9122 @code{metamail} for viewing.
9124 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
9125 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
9126 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
9127 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
9128 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
9129 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
9130 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
9131 simply dropped them.
9136 @node Uuencoding and Posting
9137 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
9141 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
9142 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
9143 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
9144 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
9145 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
9146 for you when you post the article.
9148 @item gnus-uu-post-length
9149 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
9150 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
9151 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
9153 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
9154 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
9155 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
9156 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
9157 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
9158 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
9159 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
9161 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
9162 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
9163 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
9164 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
9165 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
9166 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
9167 Default is @code{t}.
9173 @subsection Viewing Files
9174 @cindex viewing files
9175 @cindex pseudo-articles
9177 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
9178 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
9179 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
9180 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
9181 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
9182 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
9183 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
9185 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
9186 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
9187 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
9188 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
9190 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
9191 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
9192 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
9194 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
9195 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
9196 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
9197 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
9198 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
9200 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
9201 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
9202 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
9203 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
9204 a list of parameters to that command.
9206 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
9207 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
9208 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
9210 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
9211 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
9212 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
9215 @node Article Treatment
9216 @section Article Treatment
9218 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
9219 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
9220 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
9221 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
9222 these articles easier.
9225 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
9226 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
9227 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
9228 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
9229 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
9230 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
9231 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
9232 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
9233 * Article Display:: Display various stuff:
9234 X-Face, Picons, Gravatars, Smileys.
9235 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
9236 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
9240 @node Article Highlighting
9241 @subsection Article Highlighting
9242 @cindex highlighting
9244 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
9245 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
9250 @kindex W H a (Summary)
9251 @findex gnus-article-highlight
9252 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
9253 Do much highlighting of the current article
9254 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
9255 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
9258 @kindex W H h (Summary)
9259 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
9260 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
9261 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
9262 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
9263 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
9264 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
9265 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
9266 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
9267 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
9268 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
9269 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
9272 @kindex W H c (Summary)
9273 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
9274 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
9276 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
9279 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
9281 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
9282 If the article size in bytes is bigger than this variable (which is
9283 25000 by default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
9285 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
9286 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
9287 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
9289 @item gnus-cite-face-list
9290 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
9291 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
9292 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
9293 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
9294 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
9296 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
9297 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
9298 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
9300 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
9301 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
9302 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
9304 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
9305 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
9306 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
9307 that it's a citation.
9309 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
9310 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
9311 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
9313 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
9314 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
9315 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
9317 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
9318 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
9319 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
9320 cited text belonging to the attribution.
9322 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
9323 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
9324 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
9325 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
9326 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
9333 @kindex W H s (Summary)
9334 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9335 @vindex gnus-signature-face
9336 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
9337 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
9338 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
9339 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
9340 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
9345 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
9348 @node Article Fontisizing
9349 @subsection Article Fontisizing
9351 @cindex article emphasis
9353 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
9354 @kindex W e (Summary)
9355 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
9356 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
9357 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
9358 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
9360 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
9361 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
9362 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
9363 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
9364 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
9365 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
9366 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
9367 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
9371 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
9372 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
9373 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
9382 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
9383 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
9384 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
9385 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
9386 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
9387 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
9388 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
9389 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
9390 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
9391 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
9392 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
9393 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
9394 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
9396 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
9397 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
9398 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
9402 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
9405 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
9407 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
9408 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
9409 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
9410 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
9412 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
9415 @node Article Hiding
9416 @subsection Article Hiding
9417 @cindex article hiding
9419 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
9420 too much cruft in most articles.
9425 @kindex W W a (Summary)
9426 @findex gnus-article-hide
9427 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
9428 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
9429 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
9432 @kindex W W h (Summary)
9433 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
9434 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
9438 @kindex W W b (Summary)
9439 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9440 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
9441 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
9444 @kindex W W s (Summary)
9445 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
9446 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
9450 @kindex W W l (Summary)
9451 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
9452 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
9453 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
9454 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
9455 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
9456 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
9457 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
9461 @item gnus-list-identifiers
9462 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
9463 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
9464 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
9469 @kindex W W P (Summary)
9470 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
9471 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
9472 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
9475 @kindex W W B (Summary)
9476 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
9477 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
9478 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9481 @cindex stripping advertisements
9482 @cindex advertisements
9483 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
9484 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
9485 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
9486 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
9487 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
9488 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
9489 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
9490 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
9491 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
9492 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
9495 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
9496 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
9497 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
9501 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9502 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9503 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
9504 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
9505 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
9506 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
9507 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
9508 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
9509 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
9510 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
9511 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
9514 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
9515 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
9521 @kindex W W c (Summary)
9522 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
9523 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
9524 customizing the hiding:
9528 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
9529 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
9530 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
9531 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
9532 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
9533 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
9534 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
9539 Starting point of the hidden text.
9541 Ending point of the hidden text.
9543 Number of characters in the hidden region.
9545 Number of lines of hidden text.
9548 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
9549 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
9550 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
9551 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
9552 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
9557 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
9558 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
9560 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
9561 following two variables:
9564 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
9565 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
9566 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
9567 50), hide the cited text.
9569 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
9570 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
9571 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
9576 @kindex W W C (Summary)
9577 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
9578 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
9579 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
9580 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
9581 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
9585 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
9586 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
9587 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
9589 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
9590 citation customization.
9592 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
9596 @node Article Washing
9597 @subsection Article Washing
9599 @cindex article washing
9601 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
9602 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
9604 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
9605 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
9608 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
9609 articles by default.
9614 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
9615 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
9619 Force redisplaying of the current article
9620 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
9621 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
9622 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
9623 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
9626 @kindex W l (Summary)
9627 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
9628 Remove page breaks from the current article
9629 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
9633 @kindex W r (Summary)
9634 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
9635 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
9636 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
9637 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
9638 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
9639 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
9641 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
9642 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
9643 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
9644 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
9647 @kindex W m (Summary)
9648 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
9649 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
9652 @kindex W i (Summary)
9653 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
9654 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
9655 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
9656 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
9657 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
9658 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
9663 @kindex W t (Summary)
9665 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
9666 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
9667 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
9670 @kindex W v (Summary)
9671 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
9672 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
9673 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
9676 @kindex W o (Summary)
9677 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
9678 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
9681 @kindex W d (Summary)
9682 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
9683 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
9685 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
9687 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
9688 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
9689 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
9690 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
9693 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
9694 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
9695 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
9696 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
9699 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
9700 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
9701 @cindex Outlook Express
9702 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
9703 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
9704 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
9707 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
9708 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
9709 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
9710 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
9711 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
9712 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
9713 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
9714 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
9715 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
9716 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
9719 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
9720 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
9721 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
9722 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
9725 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
9726 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
9727 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
9728 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
9731 @kindex W w (Summary)
9732 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
9733 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
9735 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
9739 @kindex W Q (Summary)
9740 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
9741 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
9744 @kindex W C (Summary)
9745 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
9746 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
9747 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
9750 @kindex W c (Summary)
9751 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
9752 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
9753 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
9754 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
9755 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
9758 @kindex W q (Summary)
9759 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
9760 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
9761 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
9762 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
9763 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
9764 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
9765 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9766 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9767 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9770 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
9771 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
9772 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
9773 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
9774 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
9775 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9776 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9777 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9780 @kindex W Z (Summary)
9781 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
9782 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
9783 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
9784 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
9787 @kindex W A (Summary)
9788 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
9789 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
9790 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
9791 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
9792 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
9795 @kindex W u (Summary)
9796 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
9797 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
9798 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
9799 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
9800 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
9803 @kindex W h (Summary)
9804 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
9805 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
9806 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9807 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
9809 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
9810 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
9811 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
9813 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
9814 The default is to use the function specified by
9815 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
9816 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
9817 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
9818 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
9822 @item gnus-article-html
9823 Use Gnus rendered based on w3m.
9829 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
9831 @item w3m-standalone
9832 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
9835 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
9838 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
9841 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
9846 @kindex W b (Summary)
9847 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
9848 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
9849 @xref{Article Buttons}.
9852 @kindex W B (Summary)
9853 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
9854 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
9855 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
9858 @kindex W p (Summary)
9859 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
9860 Verify a signed control message
9861 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
9862 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
9863 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
9864 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
9865 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
9866 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
9869 @kindex W s (Summary)
9870 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
9871 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
9872 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
9873 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
9876 @kindex W a (Summary)
9877 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
9878 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
9879 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
9882 @kindex W E l (Summary)
9883 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
9884 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
9885 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
9888 @kindex W E m (Summary)
9889 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
9890 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
9891 lines with a single empty line.
9892 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
9895 @kindex W E t (Summary)
9896 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
9897 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
9898 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
9901 @kindex W E a (Summary)
9902 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
9903 Do all the three commands above
9904 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
9907 @kindex W E A (Summary)
9908 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
9909 Remove all blank lines
9910 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
9913 @kindex W E s (Summary)
9914 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
9915 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
9916 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
9919 @kindex W E e (Summary)
9920 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
9921 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
9922 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
9926 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
9929 @node Article Header
9930 @subsection Article Header
9932 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
9937 @kindex W G u (Summary)
9938 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
9939 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
9942 @kindex W G n (Summary)
9943 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
9944 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
9945 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
9948 @kindex W G f (Summary)
9949 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
9950 Fold all the message headers
9951 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
9954 @kindex W E w (Summary)
9955 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
9956 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
9957 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
9962 @node Article Buttons
9963 @subsection Article Buttons
9966 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
9967 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
9968 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
9969 button on these references.
9971 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9972 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
9973 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
9974 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
9975 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
9979 @item gnus-button-alist
9980 @vindex gnus-button-alist
9981 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
9984 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9990 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
9991 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
9992 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
9993 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
9994 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
9997 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
9998 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
9999 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
10002 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
10003 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
10004 avoid false matches. Often variables named
10005 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
10006 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
10008 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
10011 This function will be called when you click on this button.
10014 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
10015 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
10019 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
10022 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
10025 @item gnus-header-button-alist
10026 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
10027 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
10028 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
10029 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
10032 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
10035 @var{header} is a regular expression.
10038 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
10041 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
10042 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
10044 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
10046 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
10047 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
10048 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
10049 default values of the variables above.
10051 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
10053 @item gnus-button-man-handler
10054 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
10055 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
10056 argument with a string naming the man page.
10058 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
10060 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
10061 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
10062 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
10064 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
10065 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
10066 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
10067 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
10068 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
10069 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
10070 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
10071 @code{ask}, always query the user what to do. If it is a function, this
10072 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
10073 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
10074 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
10075 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
10077 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
10078 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
10079 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
10080 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
10081 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
10084 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
10085 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
10086 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
10087 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
10089 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
10091 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
10092 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
10093 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
10094 argument, the string naming the URL.
10096 @item gnus-ctan-url
10097 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
10098 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
10099 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
10103 @item gnus-article-button-face
10104 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
10105 Face used on buttons.
10107 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
10108 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
10109 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
10113 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
10116 @node Article Button Levels
10117 @subsection Article button levels
10118 @cindex button levels
10119 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
10120 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
10121 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
10122 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
10123 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
10124 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
10125 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
10126 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
10129 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
10130 (setq gnus-parameters
10131 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
10132 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
10133 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
10138 @item gnus-button-browse-level
10139 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
10140 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
10141 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
10142 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
10143 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
10145 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
10146 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
10147 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
10148 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
10149 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
10150 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
10151 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
10152 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
10153 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
10154 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
10155 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
10156 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
10157 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
10159 @item gnus-button-man-level
10160 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
10161 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
10162 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
10164 @item gnus-button-message-level
10165 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
10166 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
10167 Related variables and functions include
10168 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
10169 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
10170 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
10171 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
10173 @item gnus-button-tex-level
10174 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
10175 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
10176 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
10177 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
10178 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
10179 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
10185 @subsection Article Date
10187 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
10188 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
10189 when the article was sent.
10194 @kindex W T u (Summary)
10195 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
10196 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
10197 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
10200 @kindex W T i (Summary)
10201 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
10203 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
10204 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
10207 @kindex W T l (Summary)
10208 @findex gnus-article-date-local
10209 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
10212 @kindex W T p (Summary)
10213 @findex gnus-article-date-english
10214 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
10215 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
10218 @kindex W T s (Summary)
10219 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
10220 @findex gnus-article-date-user
10221 @findex format-time-string
10222 Display the date using a user-defined format
10223 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
10224 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
10225 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
10226 for a list of possible format specs.
10229 @kindex W T e (Summary)
10230 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
10231 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
10232 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
10233 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
10234 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
10237 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
10240 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
10241 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
10242 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
10245 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
10246 into wonderful absurdities.
10248 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
10251 (gnus-start-date-timer)
10254 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
10255 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
10259 @kindex W T o (Summary)
10260 @findex gnus-article-date-original
10261 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
10262 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
10263 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
10264 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
10265 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
10269 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
10270 preferred format automatically.
10273 @node Article Display
10274 @subsection Article Display
10280 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
10281 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
10283 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
10284 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
10286 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
10287 headers (@pxref{Face}).
10289 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
10290 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
10292 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
10293 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
10295 Gravatars reside on-line and are fetched from
10296 @uref{http://www.gravatar.com/} (@pxref{Gravatars}).
10298 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
10299 they'll be removed.
10303 @kindex W D x (Summary)
10304 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
10305 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
10306 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
10309 @kindex W D d (Summary)
10310 @findex gnus-article-display-face
10311 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
10312 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
10315 @kindex W D s (Summary)
10316 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
10317 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
10320 @kindex W D f (Summary)
10321 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
10322 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
10325 @kindex W D m (Summary)
10326 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
10327 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
10328 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
10331 @kindex W D n (Summary)
10332 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
10333 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
10334 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
10337 @kindex W D g (Summary)
10338 @findex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
10339 Gravatarify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
10342 @kindex W D h (Summary)
10343 @findex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
10344 Gravatarify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
10345 (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
10348 @kindex W D D (Summary)
10349 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
10350 Remove all images from the article buffer
10351 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
10354 @kindex W D W (Summary)
10355 @findex gnus-html-show-images
10356 If you're reading an @acronym{HTML} article rendered with
10357 @code{gnus-article-html}, then you can insert any blocked images in
10358 the buffer with this command.
10359 (@code{gnus-html-show-images}).
10365 @node Article Signature
10366 @subsection Article Signature
10368 @cindex article signature
10370 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
10371 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
10372 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
10373 that says what is to be considered a signature is
10374 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
10375 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
10376 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
10377 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
10378 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
10381 (setq gnus-signature-separator
10382 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
10383 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
10384 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
10385 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
10386 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
10387 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
10388 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
10391 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
10394 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
10395 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
10396 signature when displaying articles.
10400 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
10403 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
10406 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
10407 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
10409 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
10410 in question is not a signature.
10413 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
10414 listed above. Here's an example:
10417 (setq gnus-signature-limit
10418 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
10421 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
10422 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
10423 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
10424 signature after all.
10427 @node Article Miscellanea
10428 @subsection Article Miscellanea
10432 @kindex A t (Summary)
10433 @findex gnus-article-babel
10434 Translate the article from one language to another
10435 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
10440 @node MIME Commands
10441 @section MIME Commands
10442 @cindex MIME decoding
10443 @cindex attachments
10444 @cindex viewing attachments
10446 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
10447 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
10452 @kindex b (Summary)
10453 @kindex K v (Summary)
10454 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
10457 @kindex K o (Summary)
10458 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
10461 @kindex K O (Summary)
10462 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
10463 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
10464 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
10467 @kindex K r (Summary)
10468 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
10471 @kindex K d (Summary)
10472 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
10476 @kindex K c (Summary)
10477 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
10480 @kindex K e (Summary)
10481 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
10484 @kindex K i (Summary)
10485 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
10488 @kindex K | (Summary)
10489 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
10492 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
10497 @kindex K H (Summary)
10498 @findex gnus-article-browse-html-article
10499 View @samp{text/html} parts of the current article with a WWW browser.
10500 Inline images embedded in a message using the @code{cid} scheme, as they
10501 are generally considered to be safe, will be processed properly. The
10502 message header is added to the beginning of every @acronym{HTML} part
10503 unless the prefix argument is given.
10505 Warning: Spammers use links to images (using the @code{http} scheme) in
10506 @acronym{HTML} articles to verify whether you have read the message. As
10507 this command passes the @acronym{HTML} content to the browser without
10508 eliminating these ``web bugs'' you should only use it for mails from
10511 If you always want to display @acronym{HTML} parts in the browser, set
10512 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} to @code{nil}.
10514 This command creates temporary files to pass @acronym{HTML} contents
10515 including images if any to the browser, and deletes them when exiting
10516 the group (if you want).
10519 @kindex K b (Summary)
10520 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
10521 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
10525 @kindex K m (Summary)
10526 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
10527 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
10528 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
10529 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
10530 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
10533 @kindex X m (Summary)
10534 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
10535 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
10536 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
10537 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10540 @kindex M-t (Summary)
10541 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
10542 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
10543 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
10546 @kindex W M w (Summary)
10547 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
10548 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
10549 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
10552 @kindex W M c (Summary)
10553 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
10554 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
10555 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
10557 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
10558 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
10559 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
10560 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
10561 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
10562 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10565 @kindex W M v (Summary)
10566 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
10567 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
10568 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
10572 Relevant variables:
10575 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
10576 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
10577 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10578 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
10581 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
10584 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
10588 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
10589 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
10590 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
10591 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
10592 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
10593 default is @code{t}.
10595 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
10596 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
10599 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
10600 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
10601 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
10602 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
10603 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}. Only
10604 single-part yEnc encoded attachments can be decoded. There's no support
10605 for encoding in Gnus.
10607 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
10608 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
10609 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10610 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
10611 displayed or this variable is overridden by
10612 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
10613 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
10614 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
10616 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
10617 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
10618 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10619 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
10620 displayed. This variable overrides
10621 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
10622 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
10625 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
10626 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
10627 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
10629 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
10630 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
10631 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
10632 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
10633 Emacs MIME Manual}).
10635 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
10636 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
10637 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
10638 default value is @code{nil}.
10640 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
10641 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
10642 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
10643 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
10644 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
10645 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
10646 save all jpegs into some directory).
10648 Here's an example function the does the latter:
10651 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
10652 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
10654 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
10655 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
10656 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
10657 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
10658 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
10661 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
10662 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
10663 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
10665 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
10666 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
10667 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
10669 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
10670 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
10671 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
10673 If displaying @samp{text/html} is discouraged, see
10674 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
10675 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
10676 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
10677 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
10679 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
10680 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
10681 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
10682 overrides @code{nil} values of
10683 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
10684 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
10686 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10687 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10688 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
10689 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
10691 Ready-made functions include@*
10692 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
10693 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
10694 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
10695 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
10696 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
10697 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
10698 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
10699 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
10700 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
10701 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
10702 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
10703 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
10705 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
10706 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
10708 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
10709 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
10710 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
10713 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10714 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
10715 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
10716 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
10720 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
10729 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
10730 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
10731 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
10732 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
10733 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
10734 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
10735 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
10737 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
10738 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
10739 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
10740 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
10742 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
10743 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
10744 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
10745 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
10746 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
10747 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
10748 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
10749 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
10750 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
10752 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
10753 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
10754 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
10755 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
10756 quoted-printable header encoding.
10758 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
10759 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
10760 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
10764 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
10767 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
10768 means encode all charsets),
10770 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
10771 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
10772 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
10779 @cindex coding system aliases
10780 @cindex preferred charset
10782 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
10783 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
10784 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
10786 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
10788 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
10789 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
10792 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
10793 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
10796 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
10797 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
10799 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
10802 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
10805 This will almost do the right thing.
10807 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
10811 (codepage-setup 1251)
10812 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
10816 @node Article Commands
10817 @section Article Commands
10824 @kindex A P (Summary)
10825 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
10826 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
10827 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
10828 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
10829 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
10830 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
10833 @vindex gnus-fetch-partial-articles
10834 @findex gnus-summary-show-complete-article
10835 If @code{gnus-fetch-partial-articles} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
10836 fetch partial articles, if the backend it fetches them from supports
10837 it. Currently only @code{nnimap} does. If you're looking at a
10838 partial article, and want to see the complete article instead, then
10839 the @kbd{A C} command (@code{gnus-summary-show-complete-article}) will
10845 @node Summary Sorting
10846 @section Summary Sorting
10847 @cindex summary sorting
10849 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
10850 can't really see why you'd want that.
10855 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10856 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
10857 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
10859 @item C-c C-s C-m C-n
10860 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10861 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number
10862 Sort by most recent article number
10863 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number}).
10866 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
10867 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
10868 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
10871 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
10872 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
10873 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
10876 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
10877 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
10878 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
10881 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
10882 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
10883 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
10885 @item C-c C-s C-m C-d
10886 @kindex C-c C-s C-m C-d (Summary)
10887 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date
10888 Sort by most recent date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date}).
10891 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
10892 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
10893 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
10896 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
10897 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
10898 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
10901 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
10902 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
10903 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
10906 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
10907 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
10908 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
10911 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
10912 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
10913 Sort using the default sorting method
10914 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
10917 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
10918 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
10919 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
10920 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
10921 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
10924 If a prefix argument if given, the sort order is reversed.
10927 @node Finding the Parent
10928 @section Finding the Parent
10929 @cindex parent articles
10930 @cindex referring articles
10934 @kindex ^ (Summary)
10935 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
10936 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
10937 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
10938 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
10939 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
10940 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
10941 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
10942 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
10943 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
10945 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
10946 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
10947 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
10948 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
10949 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
10952 @item A R (Summary)
10953 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
10954 @kindex A R (Summary)
10955 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
10956 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
10958 @item A T (Summary)
10959 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
10960 @kindex A T (Summary)
10961 Display the full thread where the current article appears
10962 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
10963 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
10964 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
10965 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
10966 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
10967 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
10969 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
10970 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
10971 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
10972 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
10973 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
10974 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
10976 @item M-^ (Summary)
10977 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
10978 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
10980 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
10981 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
10982 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
10983 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
10984 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
10985 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
10987 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
10988 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
10989 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
10992 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
10993 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
10994 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
10995 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
10996 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
10997 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
11000 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
11001 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
11002 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
11005 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
11006 then ask Google if that fails:
11009 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
11011 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
11014 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
11015 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
11016 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
11017 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
11018 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
11019 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
11020 not support this at all.
11023 @node Alternative Approaches
11024 @section Alternative Approaches
11026 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
11027 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
11030 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
11031 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
11035 @node Pick and Read
11036 @subsection Pick and Read
11037 @cindex pick and read
11039 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
11040 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
11041 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
11042 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
11044 @findex gnus-pick-mode
11045 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
11046 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
11047 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
11048 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
11049 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
11051 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
11056 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
11057 Pick the article or thread on the current line
11058 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
11059 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
11060 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
11061 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
11062 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
11063 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
11066 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
11067 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
11068 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
11069 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
11073 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
11074 Unpick the thread or article
11075 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
11076 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
11077 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
11078 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
11079 the thread or article at that line.
11083 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
11084 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
11085 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
11086 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
11087 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
11088 will still be visible when you are reading.
11092 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
11093 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
11094 which is mapped to the same function
11095 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
11097 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
11100 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
11103 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
11104 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
11106 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
11107 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
11108 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
11110 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
11111 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
11112 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
11113 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
11114 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
11115 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
11116 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
11119 @node Binary Groups
11120 @subsection Binary Groups
11121 @cindex binary groups
11123 @findex gnus-binary-mode
11124 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
11125 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
11126 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
11127 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
11128 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
11129 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
11132 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
11133 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
11134 command, when you have turned on this mode
11135 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
11137 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
11138 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
11142 @section Tree Display
11145 @vindex gnus-use-trees
11146 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
11147 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
11148 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
11149 in the tree buffer.
11151 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
11154 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
11155 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
11156 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
11158 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
11159 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
11160 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
11161 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
11162 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
11164 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
11165 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
11166 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
11167 default is @code{modeline}.
11169 @item gnus-tree-line-format
11170 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
11171 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
11172 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
11173 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
11174 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
11175 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
11181 The name of the poster.
11183 The @code{From} header.
11185 The number of the article.
11187 The opening bracket.
11189 The closing bracket.
11194 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
11196 Variables related to the display are:
11199 @item gnus-tree-brackets
11200 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
11201 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
11202 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
11204 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
11205 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
11206 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
11208 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
11210 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
11211 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
11212 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
11213 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
11217 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
11218 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
11219 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
11220 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
11221 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
11222 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
11223 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
11224 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
11225 other windows displayed next to it.
11227 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
11231 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
11232 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
11235 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
11236 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
11237 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
11238 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
11239 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
11240 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
11241 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
11245 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
11248 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
11258 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
11263 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
11264 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
11266 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
11268 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
11274 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
11275 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
11276 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11279 (setq gnus-use-trees t
11280 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
11281 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
11282 (gnus-add-configuration
11286 (summary 0.75 point)
11291 @xref{Window Layout}.
11294 @node Mail Group Commands
11295 @section Mail Group Commands
11296 @cindex mail group commands
11298 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
11299 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
11301 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
11302 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11307 @kindex B e (Summary)
11308 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
11309 @cindex expiring mail
11310 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
11311 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
11312 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
11313 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
11316 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
11317 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
11318 @cindex expiring mail
11319 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
11320 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
11321 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
11322 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
11325 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
11326 @cindex deleting mail
11327 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
11328 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
11329 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
11330 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
11331 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
11334 @kindex B m (Summary)
11336 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
11337 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
11338 Move the article from one mail group to another
11339 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
11340 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
11343 @kindex B c (Summary)
11345 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
11346 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
11347 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
11348 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
11349 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
11352 @kindex B B (Summary)
11353 @cindex crosspost mail
11354 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
11355 Crosspost the current article to some other group
11356 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
11357 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
11358 be properly updated.
11361 @kindex B i (Summary)
11362 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
11363 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
11364 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
11365 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
11368 @kindex B I (Summary)
11369 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
11370 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
11371 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
11372 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
11375 @kindex B r (Summary)
11376 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
11377 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
11378 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
11379 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
11380 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
11381 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
11382 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
11383 (which is the default).
11387 @kindex B w (Summary)
11388 @kindex e (Summary)
11389 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
11390 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
11391 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
11392 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
11393 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
11394 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
11395 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
11398 @kindex B q (Summary)
11399 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
11400 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
11401 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
11402 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
11405 @kindex B t (Summary)
11406 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
11407 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
11408 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
11411 @kindex B p (Summary)
11412 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
11413 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
11414 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
11415 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
11416 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
11417 article from your news server (or rather, from
11418 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
11419 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
11420 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
11421 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
11422 just not have arrived yet.
11425 @kindex K E (Summary)
11426 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
11427 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
11428 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
11429 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
11430 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
11434 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
11435 @cindex moving articles
11436 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
11437 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
11438 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
11439 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
11440 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
11441 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
11442 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
11445 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
11446 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
11447 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
11448 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
11452 @node Various Summary Stuff
11453 @section Various Summary Stuff
11456 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
11457 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
11458 * Summary Generation Commands::
11459 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
11463 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
11464 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
11465 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
11466 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
11467 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
11468 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
11470 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
11471 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
11472 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
11475 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
11476 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
11477 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
11479 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
11480 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
11481 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
11482 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
11483 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
11484 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
11487 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
11488 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
11489 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
11490 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
11491 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
11493 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
11494 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
11495 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
11498 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
11499 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
11500 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
11501 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
11502 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
11503 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
11504 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
11505 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
11506 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
11507 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
11509 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
11510 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
11511 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
11512 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
11513 list of articles to be selected.
11515 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
11516 the list in one particular group:
11519 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
11520 (if (string= group "some.group")
11521 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
11525 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
11526 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
11527 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
11528 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
11529 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
11532 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
11533 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
11534 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
11535 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
11536 variable will be used instead.
11538 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
11539 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
11540 buffers. For example:
11543 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
11544 '(message-use-followup-to
11545 (gnus-visible-headers .
11546 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
11549 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
11551 @vindex gnus-propagate-marks
11552 @item gnus-propagate-marks
11553 If non-@code{nil}, propagate marks to the backends for possible
11554 storing. @xref{NNTP marks}, and friends, for a more fine-grained
11560 @node Summary Group Information
11561 @subsection Summary Group Information
11566 @kindex H d (Summary)
11567 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
11568 Give a brief description of the current group
11569 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
11570 rereading the description from the server.
11573 @kindex H h (Summary)
11574 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
11575 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
11576 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
11579 @kindex H i (Summary)
11580 @findex gnus-info-find-node
11581 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
11585 @node Searching for Articles
11586 @subsection Searching for Articles
11591 @kindex M-s (Summary)
11592 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
11593 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
11594 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
11597 @kindex M-r (Summary)
11598 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
11599 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
11600 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
11603 @kindex M-S (Summary)
11604 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward
11605 Repeat the previous search forwards
11606 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward}).
11609 @kindex M-R (Summary)
11610 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward
11611 Repeat the previous search backwards
11612 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward}).
11615 @kindex & (Summary)
11616 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
11617 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
11618 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
11619 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
11620 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
11621 search backward instead.
11623 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
11624 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
11627 @kindex M-& (Summary)
11628 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
11629 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
11630 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
11633 @node Summary Generation Commands
11634 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
11639 @kindex Y g (Summary)
11640 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
11641 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
11644 @kindex Y c (Summary)
11645 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
11646 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11647 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
11650 @kindex Y d (Summary)
11651 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
11652 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11653 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
11656 @kindex Y t (Summary)
11657 @findex gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles
11658 Pull all ticked articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11659 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles}).
11664 @node Really Various Summary Commands
11665 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
11671 @kindex C-d (Summary)
11672 @kindex A D (Summary)
11673 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
11674 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
11675 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
11676 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
11677 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
11678 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
11679 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
11680 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
11683 @vindex gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit
11684 The variable @code{gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit} controls what
11685 article should be selected after exiting a digest group. Valid values
11690 Select the next article.
11693 Select the next unread article.
11695 @item next-noselect
11696 Move the cursor to the next article. This is the default.
11698 @item next-unread-noselect
11699 Move the cursor to the next unread article.
11702 If it has any other value or there is no next (unread) article, the
11703 article selected before entering to the digest group will appear.
11706 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
11707 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
11708 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
11709 several documents into one biiig group
11710 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
11711 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
11712 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
11713 command understands the process/prefix convention
11714 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11717 @kindex C-t (Summary)
11718 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
11719 Toggle truncation of summary lines
11720 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
11721 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
11722 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
11725 @kindex = (Summary)
11726 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
11727 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
11728 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
11731 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
11732 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
11733 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11734 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
11737 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
11738 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
11739 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11740 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
11745 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
11746 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
11747 @cindex summary exit
11748 @cindex exiting groups
11750 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
11751 group and return you to the group buffer.
11758 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
11759 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
11760 @kindex q (Summary)
11761 @findex gnus-summary-exit
11762 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
11763 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
11764 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
11765 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
11766 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
11767 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
11768 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
11769 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
11770 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
11771 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
11772 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
11776 @kindex Z E (Summary)
11777 @kindex Q (Summary)
11778 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
11779 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
11780 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
11784 @kindex Z c (Summary)
11785 @kindex c (Summary)
11786 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
11787 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
11788 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
11789 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
11792 @kindex Z C (Summary)
11793 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
11794 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
11795 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
11798 @kindex Z n (Summary)
11799 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
11800 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
11801 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
11804 @kindex Z p (Summary)
11805 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
11806 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
11807 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
11811 @kindex Z R (Summary)
11812 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
11813 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
11814 Exit this group, and then enter it again
11815 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
11816 all articles, both read and unread.
11820 @kindex Z G (Summary)
11821 @kindex M-g (Summary)
11822 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
11823 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
11824 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
11825 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
11826 articles, both read and unread.
11829 @kindex Z N (Summary)
11830 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
11831 Exit the group and go to the next group
11832 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
11835 @kindex Z P (Summary)
11836 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
11837 Exit the group and go to the previous group
11838 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
11841 @kindex Z s (Summary)
11842 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
11843 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
11844 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
11845 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
11846 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
11849 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
11850 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
11851 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
11852 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
11854 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
11855 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
11856 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
11857 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
11858 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
11859 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
11860 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
11861 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
11862 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
11863 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
11864 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
11865 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
11867 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
11869 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
11870 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
11871 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
11872 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
11873 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
11874 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
11875 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
11876 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
11877 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
11880 @node Crosspost Handling
11881 @section Crosspost Handling
11885 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
11886 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
11887 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
11888 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
11889 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
11890 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
11893 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
11894 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
11895 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
11896 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
11897 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
11899 @cindex cross-posting
11901 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
11902 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
11903 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
11904 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
11905 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
11906 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
11907 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
11908 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
11909 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
11910 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
11911 the cross reference mechanism.
11913 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
11914 @cindex overview.fmt
11915 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
11916 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
11917 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
11918 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
11919 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
11920 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
11923 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
11924 set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
11925 considerably. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
11929 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
11932 @node Duplicate Suppression
11933 @section Duplicate Suppression
11935 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
11936 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
11937 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
11938 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
11943 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
11944 is evil and not very common.
11947 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
11948 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
11951 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
11952 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
11955 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
11958 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
11959 well, but these four are the most common situations.
11961 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
11962 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
11963 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
11964 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
11965 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
11966 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
11967 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
11970 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
11971 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
11972 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
11973 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
11974 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
11975 saw the article in.
11978 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
11979 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
11980 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
11982 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
11983 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
11984 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
11985 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
11986 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
11987 session are suppressed.
11989 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
11990 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
11991 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
11992 suppression list. The default is 10000.
11994 @item gnus-duplicate-file
11995 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
11996 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
11997 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
12000 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
12001 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
12002 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
12003 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
12004 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
12005 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
12006 to you to figure out, I think.
12011 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
12012 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
12013 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
12018 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
12019 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
12020 to GnuPG included with Emacs is called EasyPG (@pxref{Top, ,EasyPG,
12021 epa, EasyPG Assistant user's manual}), but PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg,
12022 PGG Manual}), Mailcrypt, and gpg.el are also supported.
12025 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
12026 or newer is recommended.
12030 The variables that control security functionality on reading/composing
12034 @item mm-verify-option
12035 @vindex mm-verify-option
12036 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
12037 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
12038 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
12040 @item mm-decrypt-option
12041 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
12042 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
12043 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
12044 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
12046 @item mm-sign-option
12047 @vindex mm-sign-option
12048 Option of creating signed parts. @code{nil}, use default signing
12049 keys; @code{guided}, ask user to select signing keys from the menu.
12051 @item mm-encrypt-option
12052 @vindex mm-encrypt-option
12053 Option of creating encrypted parts. @code{nil}, use the first
12054 public-key matching the @samp{From:} header as the recipient;
12055 @code{guided}, ask user to select recipient keys from the menu.
12058 @vindex mml1991-use
12059 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
12060 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but @code{pgg},
12061 @code{mailcrypt}, and @code{gpg} are also supported although
12062 deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available interface in
12066 @vindex mml2015-use
12067 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
12068 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but
12069 @code{pgg}, @code{mailcrypt}, and @code{gpg} are also supported
12070 although deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available
12071 interface in this order.
12075 By default the buttons that display security information are not
12076 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
12077 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
12078 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
12079 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
12080 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
12081 how to customize these variables to always display security
12084 @cindex snarfing keys
12085 @cindex importing PGP keys
12086 @cindex PGP key ring import
12087 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
12088 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
12089 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
12090 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
12091 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
12092 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
12093 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
12094 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
12095 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
12098 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
12101 This happens to also be the default action defined in
12102 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
12104 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
12105 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
12106 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
12109 @section Mailing List
12110 @cindex mailing list
12113 @kindex A M (summary)
12114 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
12115 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
12116 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
12117 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
12120 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
12125 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
12126 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
12127 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
12130 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
12131 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
12132 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
12135 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
12136 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
12137 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
12141 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
12142 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
12143 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
12146 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
12147 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
12148 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
12151 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
12152 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
12153 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
12158 @node Article Buffer
12159 @chapter Article Buffer
12160 @cindex article buffer
12162 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
12163 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
12164 tell Gnus otherwise.
12167 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
12168 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
12169 * HTML:: Reading @acronym{HTML} messages.
12170 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
12171 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
12172 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
12176 @node Hiding Headers
12177 @section Hiding Headers
12178 @cindex hiding headers
12179 @cindex deleting headers
12181 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
12182 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
12184 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
12185 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
12186 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
12187 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
12188 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
12189 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
12190 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
12191 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
12192 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
12194 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
12198 @item gnus-visible-headers
12199 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
12200 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
12201 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
12202 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
12204 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
12205 the article and the subject, you'd say:
12208 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
12211 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
12214 @item gnus-ignored-headers
12215 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
12216 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
12217 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
12218 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
12219 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
12221 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
12222 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
12225 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
12228 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
12231 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
12232 variable will have no effect.
12236 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
12237 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
12238 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
12239 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
12240 the headers are to be displayed.
12242 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
12243 and then the subject, you might say something like:
12246 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
12249 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
12250 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
12252 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
12253 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
12254 You can hide further boring headers by setting
12255 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
12256 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
12257 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
12258 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
12261 These conditions are:
12264 Remove all empty headers.
12266 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
12267 @code{Newsgroups} header.
12269 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
12270 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
12273 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
12276 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
12277 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
12279 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
12280 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
12282 Remove the @code{Cc} header if it only contains the address identical to
12283 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
12285 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
12288 Remove the @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} header if it is very long.
12290 Remove all @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} headers if there are more than one.
12293 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
12296 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
12297 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
12300 This is also the default value for this variable.
12304 @section Using MIME
12305 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12307 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
12308 while people stand around yawning.
12310 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
12311 while all newsreaders die of fear.
12313 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
12314 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
12315 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
12317 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
12318 @findex gnus-display-mime
12319 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
12320 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
12321 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
12322 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
12324 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
12325 @acronym{MIME} button:
12328 @findex gnus-article-press-button
12329 @item RET (Article)
12330 @kindex RET (Article)
12331 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
12332 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
12333 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
12334 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
12335 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
12336 object is displayed inline.
12338 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
12339 @item M-RET (Article)
12340 @kindex M-RET (Article)
12342 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
12343 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
12345 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
12347 @kindex t (Article)
12348 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
12349 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
12351 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
12353 @kindex C (Article)
12354 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
12355 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
12357 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
12359 @kindex o (Article)
12360 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
12361 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
12363 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
12364 @item C-o (Article)
12365 @kindex C-o (Article)
12366 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
12367 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
12368 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
12369 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
12370 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
12371 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
12373 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
12375 @kindex r (Article)
12376 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
12377 external body refering to the file via the message/external-body
12378 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
12380 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
12382 @kindex d (Article)
12383 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
12384 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
12385 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
12387 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
12389 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
12391 @kindex c (Article)
12392 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
12393 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
12394 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
12395 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
12396 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
12397 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
12398 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
12399 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
12401 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
12403 @kindex p (Article)
12404 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
12405 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
12406 @file{.mailcap} file.
12408 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
12410 @kindex i (Article)
12411 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
12412 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as @samp{text/plain}. If given a prefix, insert
12413 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
12414 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
12415 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
12416 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
12417 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
12418 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
12419 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
12421 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
12423 @kindex E (Article)
12424 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
12425 viewer is available, use an external viewer
12426 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
12428 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
12430 @kindex e (Article)
12431 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
12432 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
12434 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
12436 @kindex | (Article)
12437 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
12439 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
12441 @kindex . (Article)
12442 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
12443 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
12447 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
12448 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
12449 @acronym{MIME} manual.
12451 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
12452 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
12453 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
12454 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
12455 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
12456 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
12457 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
12458 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
12459 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
12461 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
12463 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
12467 @section @acronym{HTML}
12468 @cindex @acronym{HTML}
12470 If you have @code{w3m} installed on your system, Gnus can display
12471 @acronym{HTML} articles in the article buffer. There are many Gnus
12472 add-ons for doing this, using various approaches, but there's one
12473 (sort of) built-in method that's used by default.
12475 For a complete overview, consult @xref{Display Customization,
12476 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. This
12477 section only describes the default method.
12480 @item mm-text-html-renderer
12481 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
12482 If set to @code{gnus-article-html}, Gnus will use the built-in method,
12483 that's based on @code{curl} and @code{w3m}.
12485 @item gnus-blocked-images
12486 @vindex gnus-blocked-images
12487 Images that have @acronym{URL}s that match this regexp won't be
12488 fetched and displayed. For instance, do block all @acronym{URL}s that
12489 have the string ``ads'' in them, do the following:
12492 (setq gnus-blocked-images "ads")
12495 The default is to block all external images.
12497 @item gnus-html-cache-directory
12498 @vindex gnus-html-cache-directory
12499 Gnus will download and cache images according to how
12500 @code{gnus-blocked-images} is set. These images will be stored in
12503 @item gnus-html-cache-size
12504 @vindex gnus-html-cache-size
12505 When @code{gnus-html-cache-size} bytes have been used in that
12506 directory, the oldest files will be deleted. The default is 500MB.
12508 @item gnus-html-frame-width
12509 @vindex gnus-html-frame-width
12510 The width to use when rendering HTML. The default is 70.
12512 @item gnus-max-image-proportion
12513 @vindex gnus-max-image-proportion
12514 How big pictures displayed are in relation to the window they're in.
12515 A value of 0.7 (the default) means that they are allowed to take up
12516 70% of the width and height of the window. If they are larger than
12517 this, and Emacs supports it, then the images will be rescaled down to
12518 fit these criteria.
12522 To use this, make sure that you have @code{w3m} and @code{curl}
12523 installed. If you have, then Gnus should display @acronym{HTML}
12528 @node Customizing Articles
12529 @section Customizing Articles
12530 @cindex article customization
12532 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
12533 exist. You can call these functions interactively
12534 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
12535 called automatically when you select the articles.
12537 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
12538 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
12539 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
12540 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
12542 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
12543 for sensible values.
12547 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
12550 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
12553 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
12556 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
12559 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
12562 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
12566 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
12567 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
12568 regexps in the list.
12571 A list where the first element is not a string:
12573 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
12574 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
12575 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
12579 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
12584 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
12585 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
12586 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
12587 considered to contain just a single part.
12589 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
12590 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
12591 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
12592 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
12593 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
12594 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
12595 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
12598 @c Avoid sort of redundant entries in the same section for the printed
12599 @c manual, but add them in info to allow `i gnus-treat-foo-bar RET' or
12601 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize
12602 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize-head
12603 @vindex gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences
12604 @vindex gnus-treat-overstrike
12605 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-cr
12606 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body
12607 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
12608 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
12609 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-pem
12610 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
12611 @vindex gnus-treat-unsplit-urls
12612 @vindex gnus-treat-wash-html
12613 @vindex gnus-treat-date-english
12614 @vindex gnus-treat-date-iso8601
12615 @vindex gnus-treat-date-lapsed
12616 @vindex gnus-treat-date-local
12617 @vindex gnus-treat-date-original
12618 @vindex gnus-treat-date-user-defined
12619 @vindex gnus-treat-date-ut
12620 @vindex gnus-treat-from-picon
12621 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-picon
12622 @vindex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
12623 @vindex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
12624 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
12625 @vindex gnus-treat-display-smileys
12626 @vindex gnus-treat-body-boundary
12627 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12628 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12629 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12630 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12631 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12632 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12633 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12634 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12635 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12636 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12637 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12638 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12639 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12640 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12641 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12642 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12643 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12644 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12645 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12646 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12647 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12650 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
12651 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
12652 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
12653 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
12656 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
12657 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
12659 @xref{Article Buttons}.
12661 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
12662 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
12663 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
12664 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
12665 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
12666 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
12667 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
12668 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
12669 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
12670 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
12672 @xref{Article Washing}.
12674 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
12675 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
12676 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
12677 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
12678 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
12679 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
12680 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
12682 @xref{Article Date}.
12684 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
12685 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
12686 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
12690 @item gnus-treat-from-gravatar (head)
12691 @item gnus-treat-mail-gravatar (head)
12695 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
12697 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
12699 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
12700 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
12701 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
12705 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12706 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
12710 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12711 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
12715 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12716 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
12717 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12718 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
12719 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12720 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
12721 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12722 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
12723 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12724 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
12725 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12726 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
12727 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12728 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
12729 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12730 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
12731 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12732 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
12733 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12734 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
12736 @xref{Article Hiding}.
12738 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12739 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
12740 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12741 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
12742 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12743 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
12745 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
12747 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12748 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
12749 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
12750 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12751 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
12753 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12754 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
12755 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12756 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
12757 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12758 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
12759 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12760 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
12762 @xref{Article Header}.
12767 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
12768 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
12769 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
12770 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
12771 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
12775 @node Article Keymap
12776 @section Article Keymap
12778 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
12779 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
12780 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
12781 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
12784 @kindex v (Article)
12785 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Article)
12786 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
12787 command or better use it as a prefix key.
12789 A few additional keystrokes are available:
12794 @kindex SPACE (Article)
12795 @findex gnus-article-next-page
12796 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
12797 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
12800 @kindex DEL (Article)
12801 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
12802 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
12803 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
12806 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
12807 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
12808 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
12809 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
12810 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
12813 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
12814 @findex gnus-article-mail
12815 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
12816 given a prefix, include the mail.
12819 @kindex s (Article)
12820 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
12821 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
12822 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
12825 @kindex ? (Article)
12826 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
12827 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
12828 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
12831 @kindex TAB (Article)
12832 @findex gnus-article-next-button
12833 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
12834 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
12837 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
12838 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
12839 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
12842 @kindex R (Article)
12843 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
12844 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
12845 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If the region is active,
12846 only yank the text in the region.
12849 @kindex S W (Article)
12850 @findex gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original
12851 Send a wide reply to the current article and yank the current article
12852 (@code{gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original}). If the region is
12853 active, only yank the text in the region.
12856 @kindex F (Article)
12857 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
12858 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
12859 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If the region is active,
12860 only yank the text in the region.
12867 @section Misc Article
12871 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
12872 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
12873 @cindex article buffers, several
12874 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
12875 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
12878 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
12879 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
12880 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12881 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
12882 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
12884 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
12885 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
12886 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
12887 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
12888 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
12889 the contents of the article buffer.
12891 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
12892 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
12893 Hook called in article mode buffers.
12895 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12896 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12897 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
12898 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
12900 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
12901 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
12902 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
12903 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
12905 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
12906 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
12907 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
12908 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
12909 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
12910 with two extensions:
12915 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
12916 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
12917 performed. The characters and their meaning:
12922 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
12925 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
12928 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
12929 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
12930 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
12933 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
12936 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
12939 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasized strings in the article buffer.
12944 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
12948 @vindex gnus-break-pages
12950 @item gnus-break-pages
12951 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
12952 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
12953 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
12954 paging will not be done.
12956 @item gnus-page-delimiter
12957 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
12958 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
12962 @cindex internationalized domain names
12963 @vindex gnus-use-idna
12964 @item gnus-use-idna
12965 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
12966 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
12967 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
12968 for how to compose such messages. This requires
12969 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
12970 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
12975 @node Composing Messages
12976 @chapter Composing Messages
12977 @cindex composing messages
12980 @cindex sending mail
12985 @cindex using s/mime
12986 @cindex using smime
12988 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
12989 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
12990 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
12991 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
12992 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
12993 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
12996 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
12997 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
12998 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
12999 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
13000 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
13001 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
13002 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
13003 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
13004 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
13007 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
13008 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
13014 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
13017 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
13018 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
13019 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
13020 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
13021 @code{nil} include all headers.
13023 @item gnus-add-to-list
13024 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
13025 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
13026 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
13028 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
13029 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
13030 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
13031 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
13032 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
13033 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
13034 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
13035 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
13037 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
13038 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
13040 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
13041 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
13042 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
13043 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
13044 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
13049 @node Posting Server
13050 @section Posting Server
13052 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
13053 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
13055 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
13057 It can be quite complicated.
13059 @vindex gnus-post-method
13060 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
13061 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
13062 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
13063 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
13064 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
13065 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
13066 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
13067 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
13068 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
13071 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
13074 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
13075 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
13076 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
13077 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
13079 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
13080 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
13082 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
13083 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
13086 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
13087 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
13089 @vindex message-send-mail-function
13090 When sending mail, Message invokes the function specified by the
13091 variable @code{message-send-mail-function}. Gnus tries to set it to a
13092 value suitable for your system.
13093 @xref{Mail Variables, ,Mail Variables,message,Message manual}, for more
13096 @node POP before SMTP
13097 @section POP before SMTP
13098 @cindex pop before smtp
13099 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
13100 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
13102 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
13103 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
13104 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
13105 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
13106 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13109 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
13110 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
13114 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
13115 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
13116 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
13117 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
13118 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
13119 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
13120 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
13121 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
13123 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
13124 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
13125 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
13126 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
13127 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
13128 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
13131 (setq mail-source-primary-source
13132 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13133 :password "secret"))
13137 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
13138 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
13141 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
13143 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
13144 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13145 :password "secret")))
13146 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
13149 @node Mail and Post
13150 @section Mail and Post
13152 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
13156 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
13157 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
13158 @cindex mailing lists
13160 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
13161 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
13162 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
13163 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
13164 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
13165 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
13166 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
13167 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
13168 still a pain, though.
13170 @item gnus-user-agent
13171 @vindex gnus-user-agent
13174 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
13175 User-Agent header. It can be a list of symbols or a string. Valid
13176 symbols are @code{gnus} (show Gnus version) and @code{emacs} (show Emacs
13177 version). In addition to the Emacs version, you can add @code{codename}
13178 (show (S)XEmacs codename) or either @code{config} (show system
13179 configuration) or @code{type} (show system type). If you set it to a
13180 string, be sure to use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
13184 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
13185 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
13186 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
13189 @findex ispell-message
13191 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
13194 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
13195 you're in, you could say something like the following:
13198 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
13202 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
13203 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
13205 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
13208 Modify to suit your needs.
13210 @vindex gnus-message-highlight-citation
13211 If @code{gnus-message-highlight-citation} is t, different levels of
13212 citations are highlighted like in Gnus article buffers also in message
13215 @node Archived Messages
13216 @section Archived Messages
13217 @cindex archived messages
13218 @cindex sent messages
13220 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
13221 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
13222 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
13223 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
13226 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
13227 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
13230 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
13231 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
13232 use to store sent messages. The default is @code{"archive"}, and when
13233 actually being used it is expanded into:
13236 (nnfolder "archive"
13237 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
13238 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
13239 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
13240 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
13244 @vindex gnus-update-message-archive-method
13245 Note: a server like this is saved in the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file first
13246 so that it may be used as a real method of the server which is named
13247 @code{"archive"} (that is, for the case where
13248 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} is set to @code{"archive"}) ever
13249 since. If it once has been saved, it will never be updated by default
13250 even if you change the value of @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
13251 afterward. Therefore, the server @code{"archive"} doesn't necessarily
13252 mean the @code{nnfolder} server like this at all times. If you want the
13253 saved method to reflect always the value of
13254 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, set the
13255 @code{gnus-update-message-archive-method} variable to a non-@code{nil}
13256 value. The default value of this variable is @code{nil}.
13259 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
13260 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
13261 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
13262 directory chosen, you could say something like:
13265 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
13266 '(nnfolder "archive"
13267 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
13268 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
13269 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
13272 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
13274 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
13275 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
13276 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
13278 This variable can be used to do the following:
13282 Messages will be saved in that group.
13284 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
13285 message will not be stored in the select method given by
13286 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
13287 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
13288 has the default value shown above. Then setting
13289 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
13290 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
13291 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
13294 @item a list of strings
13295 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
13297 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
13298 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
13301 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
13306 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
13308 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
13311 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
13313 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
13316 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
13318 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13319 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
13320 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
13321 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
13324 More complex stuff:
13326 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13327 '((if (message-news-p)
13332 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
13333 messages in one file per month:
13336 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13337 '((if (message-news-p)
13339 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
13342 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
13343 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
13345 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
13346 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
13347 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
13348 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
13349 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
13350 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
13351 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
13352 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
13353 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
13354 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
13356 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
13357 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
13358 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
13359 this will disable archiving.
13362 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
13363 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
13364 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
13365 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
13366 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
13369 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
13370 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
13371 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
13374 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
13375 but the latter is the preferred method.
13377 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
13378 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
13379 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
13381 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
13382 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
13383 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
13384 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
13385 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
13386 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
13387 changed in the future.
13392 @node Posting Styles
13393 @section Posting Styles
13394 @cindex posting styles
13397 All them variables, they make my head swim.
13399 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
13400 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
13401 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
13404 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
13405 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
13406 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
13407 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
13408 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
13413 (signature "Peace and happiness")
13414 (organization "What me?"))
13416 (signature "Death to everybody"))
13417 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
13418 (organization "Emacs is it")))
13421 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
13422 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
13423 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
13424 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
13425 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
13426 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
13427 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
13428 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
13430 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
13431 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
13432 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
13433 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
13434 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
13435 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
13436 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
13437 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
13438 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
13439 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
13440 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
13441 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
13442 said to @dfn{match}.
13444 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
13445 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
13446 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
13447 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
13448 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
13449 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
13450 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
13451 name can be one of:
13454 @item @code{signature}
13455 @item @code{signature-file}
13456 @item @code{x-face-file}
13457 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
13458 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
13462 Note that the @code{signature-file} attribute honors the variable
13463 @code{message-signature-directory}.
13465 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
13466 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
13467 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
13468 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
13469 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
13471 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
13472 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
13473 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
13474 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
13475 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
13476 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
13477 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
13478 references chars lines xref extra.
13480 @vindex message-reply-headers
13482 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
13483 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
13484 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
13486 @findex message-mail-p
13487 @findex message-news-p
13489 So here's a new example:
13492 (setq gnus-posting-styles
13494 (signature-file "~/.signature")
13496 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
13497 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
13498 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
13500 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
13501 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
13502 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
13503 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
13504 (signature my-news-signature))
13505 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
13506 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
13507 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
13508 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
13509 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
13510 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
13511 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
13512 (address "user@@bar.foo")
13513 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
13514 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
13516 (From (with-current-buffer gnus-article-buffer
13517 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
13519 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
13522 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
13523 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
13524 if you fill many roles.
13525 You may also use @code{message-alternative-emails} instead.
13526 @xref{Message Headers, ,Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
13532 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
13533 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
13534 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
13535 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
13536 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
13538 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
13539 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
13540 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
13541 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
13542 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
13546 @vindex nndraft-directory
13547 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
13548 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
13549 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
13550 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
13551 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
13552 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
13554 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
13555 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
13556 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
13557 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
13558 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
13559 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
13560 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
13561 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
13562 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
13564 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
13565 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
13566 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
13567 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
13568 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
13569 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
13570 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
13571 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
13572 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
13573 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
13574 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
13575 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
13576 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
13577 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
13579 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
13580 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
13581 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
13583 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
13584 @kindex D e (Draft)
13585 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
13586 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
13587 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
13589 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
13592 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
13593 @kindex D s (Draft)
13594 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
13595 @kindex D S (Draft)
13596 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
13597 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
13598 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
13599 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
13600 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
13603 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
13604 @kindex D t (Draft)
13605 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
13606 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
13607 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
13609 Finally, if you want to delete a draft, use the normal @kbd{B DEL}
13610 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13613 @node Rejected Articles
13614 @section Rejected Articles
13615 @cindex rejected articles
13617 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
13618 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
13619 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
13620 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
13622 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
13623 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
13624 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
13625 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
13626 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
13628 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
13629 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
13630 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
13632 @node Signing and encrypting
13633 @section Signing and encrypting
13635 @cindex using s/mime
13636 @cindex using smime
13638 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
13639 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
13640 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
13641 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
13643 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
13644 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
13645 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
13646 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
13647 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
13648 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
13649 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
13650 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
13651 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
13652 automatically encrypted messages.
13654 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
13655 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
13656 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
13661 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
13662 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
13664 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13667 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
13668 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13670 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13673 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
13674 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13676 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13679 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
13680 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
13682 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13685 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
13686 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
13688 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13691 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
13692 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
13694 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13697 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
13698 @findex mml-unsecure-message
13699 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
13703 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
13705 @node Select Methods
13706 @chapter Select Methods
13707 @cindex foreign groups
13708 @cindex select methods
13710 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
13711 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
13712 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
13713 personal mail group.
13715 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
13716 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
13717 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
13718 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
13719 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
13720 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
13722 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
13723 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
13725 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
13728 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
13729 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
13730 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
13731 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
13732 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
13734 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
13737 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
13738 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
13739 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
13740 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
13741 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
13742 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
13743 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
13744 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
13745 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
13749 @node Server Buffer
13750 @section Server Buffer
13752 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
13753 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
13754 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
13755 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
13756 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
13757 back end represents a virtual server.
13759 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
13760 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
13761 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
13762 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
13764 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
13765 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
13766 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
13767 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
13768 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
13769 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
13770 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
13772 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
13773 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
13776 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
13777 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
13778 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
13779 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
13780 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
13781 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
13782 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
13785 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
13786 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
13789 @node Server Buffer Format
13790 @subsection Server Buffer Format
13791 @cindex server buffer format
13793 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
13794 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
13795 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
13796 variable, with some simple extensions:
13801 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
13804 The name of this server.
13807 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
13810 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
13813 Whether this server is agentized.
13816 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
13817 The mode line can also be customized by using the
13818 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
13819 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
13829 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
13832 @node Server Commands
13833 @subsection Server Commands
13834 @cindex server commands
13840 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Server)
13841 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
13842 command or better use it as a prefix key.
13846 @findex gnus-server-add-server
13847 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
13851 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
13852 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
13855 @kindex SPACE (Server)
13856 @findex gnus-server-read-server
13857 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
13861 @findex gnus-server-exit
13862 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
13866 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
13867 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
13871 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
13872 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
13876 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13877 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
13881 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
13882 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
13886 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
13887 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
13888 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
13893 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
13894 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
13895 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
13896 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
13900 @findex gnus-server-compact-server
13902 Compact all groups in the server under point
13903 (@code{gnus-server-compact-server}). Currently implemented only in
13904 nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes gaps between article numbers,
13905 hence getting a correct total article count.
13910 @node Example Methods
13911 @subsection Example Methods
13913 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
13916 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
13919 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
13925 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
13926 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
13929 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
13930 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
13932 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
13933 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
13937 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
13940 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
13941 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
13943 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
13944 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
13945 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
13949 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
13952 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
13955 Here's the method for a public spool:
13959 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
13960 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
13966 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
13967 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
13968 on the firewall machine and connect with
13969 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} from there to the
13970 @acronym{NNTP} server.
13971 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
13972 should probably look something like this:
13976 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)
13977 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
13978 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host"))
13981 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
13982 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
13983 configuration to the example above:
13986 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13989 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
13990 an indirect connection:
13993 (setq gnus-select-method
13995 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
13996 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
13997 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
13998 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13999 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C"))
14000 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)))
14003 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
14004 provide automatic authorization, of course.
14006 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
14007 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
14008 netcat connection to the news server as follows:
14012 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14013 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
14014 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
14018 @node Creating a Virtual Server
14019 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
14021 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
14022 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
14024 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
14025 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
14026 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
14028 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
14030 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
14031 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
14032 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
14033 will contain the following:
14043 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
14044 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
14047 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
14048 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
14049 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
14052 @node Server Variables
14053 @subsection Server Variables
14054 @cindex server variables
14055 @cindex server parameters
14057 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
14058 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
14059 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
14060 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
14061 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
14063 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
14064 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
14065 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
14066 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
14067 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
14068 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
14069 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
14070 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
14071 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
14075 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
14076 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
14077 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
14080 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
14082 @node Servers and Methods
14083 @subsection Servers and Methods
14085 Wherever you would normally use a select method
14086 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
14087 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
14088 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
14092 @node Unavailable Servers
14093 @subsection Unavailable Servers
14095 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
14096 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
14097 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
14098 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
14099 actually the case or not.
14101 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
14102 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
14103 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
14104 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
14105 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
14106 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
14107 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
14108 it will regard that server as ``down''.
14110 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
14111 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
14113 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
14114 with the following commands:
14120 @findex gnus-server-open-server
14121 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
14122 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
14126 @findex gnus-server-close-server
14127 Close the connection (if any) to the server
14128 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
14132 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
14133 Mark the current server as unreachable
14134 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
14137 @kindex M-o (Server)
14138 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
14139 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
14140 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
14143 @kindex M-c (Server)
14144 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
14145 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
14146 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
14150 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
14151 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
14152 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
14156 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
14157 Copy a server and give it a new name
14158 (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}). This can be useful if you have a
14159 complex method definition, and want to use the same definition towards
14160 a different (physical) server.
14164 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
14165 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
14171 @section Getting News
14172 @cindex reading news
14173 @cindex news back ends
14175 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
14176 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
14177 or it can read from a local spool.
14180 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
14181 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
14189 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
14190 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
14191 server as the, uhm, address.
14193 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
14194 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
14195 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
14196 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14198 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
14199 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
14200 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
14202 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
14207 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
14208 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
14209 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
14211 @cindex authentication
14212 @cindex nntp authentication
14213 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
14214 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
14215 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
14216 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
14217 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
14218 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
14219 present in this hook.
14221 @item nntp-authinfo-function
14222 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
14223 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
14224 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
14225 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
14226 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
14227 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
14228 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
14229 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
14230 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
14231 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
14232 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
14236 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
14239 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
14241 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
14242 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
14243 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
14244 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
14245 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
14246 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
14247 @samp{force} is explained below.
14251 Here's an example file:
14254 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
14255 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
14258 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
14259 have to be first, for instance.
14261 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
14262 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
14263 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
14264 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
14265 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
14266 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
14267 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
14269 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
14270 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
14276 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
14277 previously mentioned.
14279 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
14281 @item nntp-server-action-alist
14282 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
14283 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
14284 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
14285 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
14288 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
14289 '(("innd" (ding))))
14292 You probably don't want to do that, though.
14294 The default value is
14297 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
14298 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
14299 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
14302 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
14303 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
14305 @item nntp-maximum-request
14306 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
14307 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
14308 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
14309 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
14310 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
14311 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
14312 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
14314 @item nntp-connection-timeout
14315 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
14316 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
14317 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
14318 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
14319 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
14320 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
14321 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
14322 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
14323 no timeouts are done.
14325 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
14326 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
14327 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
14328 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
14331 @item nntp-xover-commands
14332 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
14333 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
14335 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
14336 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
14340 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
14341 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
14342 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
14343 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
14344 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
14345 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
14346 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
14347 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
14348 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
14349 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
14350 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
14352 @item nntp-xref-number-is-evil
14353 @vindex nntp-xref-number-is-evil
14354 When Gnus refers to an article having the @code{Message-ID} that a user
14355 specifies or having the @code{Message-ID} of the parent article of the
14356 current one (@pxref{Finding the Parent}), Gnus sends a @code{HEAD}
14357 command to the @acronym{NNTP} server to know where it is, and the server
14358 returns the data containing the pairs of a group and an article number
14359 in the @code{Xref} header. Gnus normally uses the article number to
14360 refer to the article if the data shows that that article is in the
14361 current group, while it uses the @code{Message-ID} otherwise. However,
14362 some news servers, e.g., ones running Diablo, run multiple engines
14363 having the same articles but article numbers are not kept synchronized
14364 between them. In that case, the article number that appears in the
14365 @code{Xref} header varies by which engine is chosen, so you cannot refer
14366 to the parent article that is in the current group, for instance. If
14367 you connect to such a server, set this variable to a non-@code{nil}
14368 value, and Gnus never uses article numbers. For example:
14371 (setq gnus-select-method
14373 (nntp-address "newszilla.example.com")
14374 (nntp-xref-number-is-evil t)
14378 The default value of this server variable is @code{nil}.
14380 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
14381 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
14382 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
14384 @item nntp-record-commands
14385 @vindex nntp-record-commands
14386 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
14387 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
14388 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
14389 that doesn't seem to work.
14391 @item nntp-open-connection-function
14392 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
14393 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
14394 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
14395 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
14396 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
14397 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
14398 indirect ones (three pre-made).
14400 @item nntp-never-echoes-commands
14401 @vindex nntp-never-echoes-commands
14402 Non-@code{nil} means the nntp server never echoes commands. It is
14403 reported that some nntps server doesn't echo commands. So, you may want
14404 to set this to non-@code{nil} in the method for such a server setting
14405 @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream} for
14406 example. The default value is @code{nil}. Note that the
14407 @code{nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands} variable
14408 overrides the @code{nil} value of this variable.
14410 @item nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
14411 @vindex nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
14412 List of functions that never echo commands. Add or set a function which
14413 you set to @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to this list if it does
14414 not echo commands. Note that a non-@code{nil} value of the
14415 @code{nntp-never-echoes-commands} variable overrides this variable. The
14416 default value is @code{(nntp-open-network-stream)}.
14418 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
14419 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
14420 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
14421 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
14422 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
14423 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
14424 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
14427 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
14430 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
14431 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
14436 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
14437 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
14438 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
14439 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
14443 @node Direct Functions
14444 @subsubsection Direct Functions
14445 @cindex direct connection functions
14447 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
14448 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
14449 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
14450 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14453 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
14454 @item nntp-open-network-stream
14455 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
14458 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
14459 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
14460 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
14461 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
14462 installed. You then define a server as follows:
14465 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
14466 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
14468 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
14469 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
14470 (nntp-port-number 563)
14471 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
14474 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
14475 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
14476 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
14477 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
14478 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
14479 then define a server as follows:
14482 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
14483 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
14485 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
14486 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
14487 (nntp-port-number 563)
14488 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
14491 @findex nntp-open-netcat-stream
14492 @item nntp-open-netcat-stream
14493 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server using the @code{netcat}
14494 program. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have
14495 the default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
14496 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
14497 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
14498 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
14502 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14503 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
14504 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
14507 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
14508 session, which is not a good idea.
14510 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
14511 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
14512 Like @code{nntp-open-netcat-stream}, but uses @code{telnet} rather than
14513 @code{netcat}. @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things
14514 like line-end-conversion, but sometimes netcat is simply
14515 not available. The previous example would turn into:
14519 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14520 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
14521 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
14522 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
14527 @node Indirect Functions
14528 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
14529 @cindex indirect connection functions
14531 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
14532 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14533 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
14534 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
14535 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
14536 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14539 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
14540 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
14541 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then uses @code{netcat} to connect
14542 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
14543 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
14545 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
14548 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
14549 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
14550 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
14551 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
14553 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14554 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14555 List of strings to be used as the switches to
14556 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
14557 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
14558 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections.
14561 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
14562 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
14563 Does essentially the same, but uses @code{telnet} instead of @samp{netcat}
14564 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
14565 @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things like
14566 line-end-conversion, but sometimes @code{netcat} is simply not available.
14568 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
14571 @item nntp-telnet-command
14572 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
14573 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
14574 intermediate host. The default is @samp{telnet}.
14576 @item nntp-telnet-switches
14577 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
14578 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
14579 @code{nntp-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{("-8")}.
14581 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
14582 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
14583 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
14584 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
14586 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14587 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14588 List of strings to be used as the switches to
14589 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. If you use @samp{ssh}, you may need to set
14590 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
14591 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
14592 host. The default is @code{nil}.
14595 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
14596 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14598 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
14599 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
14600 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
14601 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
14603 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
14606 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
14607 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
14608 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
14611 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
14612 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
14613 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
14614 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
14616 @item nntp-via-user-password
14617 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
14618 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
14620 @item nntp-via-envuser
14621 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
14622 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
14623 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
14624 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
14626 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
14627 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
14628 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
14629 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
14633 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
14634 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14638 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
14643 @item nntp-via-user-name
14644 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
14645 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
14647 @item nntp-via-address
14648 @vindex nntp-via-address
14649 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
14654 @node Common Variables
14655 @subsubsection Common Variables
14657 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
14658 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
14659 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
14660 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
14661 variables individually).
14665 @item nntp-pre-command
14666 @vindex nntp-pre-command
14667 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
14668 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
14669 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
14670 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
14673 @vindex nntp-address
14674 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14676 @item nntp-port-number
14677 @vindex nntp-port-number
14678 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14679 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
14680 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
14681 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
14682 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
14683 not work with named ports.
14685 @item nntp-end-of-line
14686 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
14687 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
14688 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
14689 using a non native telnet connection function.
14691 @item nntp-netcat-command
14692 @vindex nntp-netcat-command
14693 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
14694 @samp{netcat}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
14695 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14698 @item nntp-netcat-switches
14699 @vindex nntp-netcat-switches
14700 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-netcat-command}. The default
14706 @subsubsection NNTP marks
14707 @cindex storing NNTP marks
14709 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
14710 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
14711 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
14712 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
14713 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
14714 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
14715 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
14716 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
14718 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
14719 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
14720 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
14721 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
14722 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14724 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
14725 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
14726 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
14727 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
14728 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
14729 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
14730 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
14732 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
14733 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
14734 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14740 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
14741 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
14742 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
14743 default is @code{nil}.
14745 @item nntp-marks-directory
14746 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
14747 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
14753 @subsection News Spool
14757 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
14758 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
14759 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
14762 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
14763 anything else) as the address.
14765 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
14766 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
14767 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
14768 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
14772 @item nnspool-inews-program
14773 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
14774 Program used to post an article.
14776 @item nnspool-inews-switches
14777 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
14778 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
14780 @item nnspool-spool-directory
14781 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
14782 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
14783 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
14785 @item nnspool-nov-directory
14786 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
14787 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
14788 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
14790 @item nnspool-lib-dir
14791 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
14792 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
14794 @item nnspool-active-file
14795 @vindex nnspool-active-file
14796 The name of the active file.
14798 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
14799 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
14800 The name of the group descriptions file.
14802 @item nnspool-history-file
14803 @vindex nnspool-history-file
14804 The name of the news history file.
14806 @item nnspool-active-times-file
14807 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
14808 The name of the active date file.
14810 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
14811 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
14812 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
14815 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14816 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14818 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
14819 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
14820 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
14827 @section Getting Mail
14828 @cindex reading mail
14831 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
14835 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
14836 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
14837 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
14838 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
14839 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
14840 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
14841 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
14842 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
14843 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
14844 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
14845 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
14846 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
14847 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
14851 @node Mail in a Newsreader
14852 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
14854 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
14855 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
14856 of a culture shock.
14858 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
14859 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
14861 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
14862 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
14863 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
14864 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
14866 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
14868 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
14869 deleted? How awful!
14871 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
14872 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
14873 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
14874 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
14877 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
14878 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
14879 they want to treat a message.
14881 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
14882 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
14883 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
14884 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
14885 archived somewhere else.
14887 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
14888 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
14889 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
14890 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
14891 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
14893 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
14894 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
14895 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
14897 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
14898 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
14901 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
14902 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
14903 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
14904 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
14905 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
14907 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
14908 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
14909 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
14910 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
14911 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
14912 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
14916 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
14917 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
14919 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
14920 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
14921 and things will happen automatically.
14923 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
14924 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14927 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14930 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
14931 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
14932 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
14933 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
14934 like any other group.
14936 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
14939 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14940 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14941 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14945 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
14946 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
14947 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
14950 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
14951 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
14952 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
14955 @node Splitting Mail
14956 @subsection Splitting Mail
14957 @cindex splitting mail
14958 @cindex mail splitting
14959 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
14961 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
14962 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
14963 to be split into groups.
14966 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14967 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14968 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14969 ("mail.other" "")))
14972 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
14973 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
14974 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
14975 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
14976 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
14977 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
14978 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
14981 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
14985 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
14986 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14988 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14989 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
14990 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
14991 mail belongs in that group.
14993 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
14994 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
14995 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
14996 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
14997 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
14998 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
14999 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
15000 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
15001 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
15002 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
15004 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
15005 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
15006 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
15007 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
15008 thinks should carry this mail message.
15010 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
15011 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
15012 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
15013 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
15015 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
15016 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
15017 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
15018 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
15019 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
15021 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
15024 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
15025 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
15026 links. If that's the case for you, set
15027 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
15028 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
15030 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
15031 @findex nnmail-split-history
15032 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
15033 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
15034 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
15035 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
15038 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
15039 Header lines longer than the value of
15040 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
15043 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
15044 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
15045 By default, splitting does not decode headers, so you can not match on
15046 non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. But it is useful if you want to match
15047 articles based on the raw header data. To enable it, set the
15048 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} variable to a non-@code{nil} value.
15049 In addition, the value of the @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
15050 variable is used for decoding non-@acronym{MIME} encoded string when
15051 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} is non-@code{nil}. The default
15052 value is @code{nil} which means not to decode non-@acronym{MIME} encoded
15053 string. A suitable value for you will be @code{undecided} or be the
15054 charset used normally in mails you are interested in.
15056 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
15057 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
15058 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
15059 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
15060 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
15061 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
15062 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
15063 other kinds of entries.)
15065 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
15066 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
15067 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
15068 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
15069 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
15070 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
15071 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
15072 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
15073 month's rent money.
15077 @subsection Mail Sources
15079 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
15080 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
15081 maildir, for instance.
15084 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
15085 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
15086 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
15090 @node Mail Source Specifiers
15091 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
15093 @cindex mail server
15096 @cindex mail source
15098 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
15099 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
15104 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
15107 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
15108 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
15109 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
15112 The @code{mail-sources} is global for all mail groups. You can specify
15113 an additional mail source for a particular group by including the
15114 @code{group} mail specifier in @code{mail-sources}, and setting a
15115 @code{mail-source} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) specifying
15116 a single mail source. When this is used, @code{mail-sources} is
15117 typically just @code{(group)}; the @code{mail-source} parameter for a
15118 group might look like this:
15121 (mail-source . (file :path "home/user/spools/foo.spool"))
15124 This means that the group's (and only this group's) messages will be
15125 fetched from the spool file @samp{/user/spools/foo.spool}.
15127 The following mail source types are available:
15131 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
15137 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
15138 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
15139 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
15143 Script run before/after fetching mail.
15146 An example file mail source:
15149 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
15152 Or using the default file name:
15158 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
15159 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
15160 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
15161 mail spool while moving the mail.
15163 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
15167 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
15170 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
15174 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
15177 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
15179 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
15182 Alter this script to fit the @samp{movemail} and temporary
15183 file you want to use.
15187 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
15188 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
15189 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
15190 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
15191 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
15192 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
15193 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
15194 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
15195 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
15196 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
15198 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
15199 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
15200 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
15201 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
15207 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
15211 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
15215 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
15216 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
15217 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
15218 predicate are considered.
15222 Script run before/after fetching mail.
15226 An example directory mail source:
15229 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
15234 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
15240 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
15241 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
15244 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
15245 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
15246 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
15247 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
15248 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
15251 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
15255 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
15256 the user is prompted.
15259 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
15260 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
15263 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
15266 The valid format specifier characters are:
15270 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
15271 included in this string.
15274 The name of the server.
15277 The port number of the server.
15280 The user name to use.
15283 The password to use.
15286 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
15287 corresponding keywords.
15290 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
15291 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
15294 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
15295 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
15298 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
15299 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
15300 mail should be moved to.
15302 @item :authentication
15303 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
15304 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
15309 @vindex pop3-movemail
15310 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
15311 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
15312 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server}
15313 is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be left on the @acronym{POP} server
15314 after fetching when using @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers
15315 maintain no state information between sessions, so what the client
15316 believes is there and what is actually there may not match up. If they
15317 do not, then you may get duplicate mails or the whole thing can fall
15318 apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
15320 Here are some examples for getting mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
15321 Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server, using the default user
15322 name, and default fetcher:
15328 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
15331 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
15332 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
15335 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
15338 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
15342 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
15343 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
15344 contains exactly one mail.
15350 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
15351 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
15354 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
15355 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
15357 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
15358 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
15359 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
15362 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
15363 from locking problems).
15367 Two example maildir mail sources:
15370 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
15371 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
15375 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
15380 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
15381 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
15382 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
15383 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
15384 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
15386 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
15387 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
15393 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
15394 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
15397 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
15398 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
15401 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
15405 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
15409 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
15410 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
15411 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
15412 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
15414 @item :authentication
15415 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
15416 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
15417 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
15418 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
15421 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
15422 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
15423 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
15429 Make sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g.,
15430 don't forget to redirect the error output to the void. The valid format
15431 specifier characters are:
15435 The name of the server.
15438 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
15441 The port number of the server.
15444 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
15445 corresponding keywords.
15448 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
15449 which normally is the mailbox which receives incoming mail.
15452 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
15453 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
15454 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
15455 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
15456 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
15457 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
15460 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
15461 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
15462 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
15463 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
15466 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
15467 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
15471 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
15474 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
15476 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
15480 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
15481 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
15482 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
15484 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
15485 required for url "4.0pre.46".
15487 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
15493 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
15494 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
15497 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
15501 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
15505 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
15506 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
15510 An example webmail source:
15513 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
15515 :password "secret")
15519 Get the actual mail source from the @code{mail-source} group parameter,
15520 @xref{Group Parameters}.
15525 @item Common Keywords
15526 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
15532 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
15533 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
15538 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
15543 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
15544 useful when you use local mail and news.
15549 @subsubsection Function Interface
15551 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
15552 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
15553 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
15554 consider the following mail-source setting:
15557 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
15558 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
15561 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
15562 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
15563 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
15564 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
15565 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
15567 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
15570 @node Mail Source Customization
15571 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
15573 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
15574 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
15578 @item mail-source-crash-box
15579 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
15580 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
15581 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
15584 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
15585 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
15586 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
15587 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
15588 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
15589 (the deletion will only happen when receiving new mail). You may also
15590 set @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
15591 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
15592 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{10} in alpha Gnusae
15593 and @code{2} in released Gnusae. @xref{Gnus Development}.
15595 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15596 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15597 If non-@code{nil}, ask for confirmation before deleting old incoming
15598 files. This variable only applies when
15599 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
15601 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
15602 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
15603 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
15605 @item mail-source-directory
15606 @vindex mail-source-directory
15607 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
15608 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
15609 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
15610 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
15612 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15613 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15614 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
15615 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
15616 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
15617 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
15620 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
15621 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
15622 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
15624 @item mail-source-movemail-program
15625 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
15626 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
15627 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
15632 @node Fetching Mail
15633 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
15635 @vindex mail-sources
15636 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
15637 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
15638 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
15640 If this variable is @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to
15641 fetch mail by themselves.
15643 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
15644 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
15649 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15650 :password "secret")))
15653 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
15657 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
15658 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15661 :password "secret")))
15665 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
15666 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
15667 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
15668 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
15669 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
15670 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
15674 @node Mail Back End Variables
15675 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
15677 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
15681 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15682 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15683 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
15684 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
15686 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
15687 @item nnmail-split-hook
15688 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
15689 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
15690 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
15691 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
15692 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
15693 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
15694 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
15695 in the buffer will show up in any files.
15696 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
15699 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15700 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15701 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15702 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15703 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
15704 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
15705 starting to handle the new mail) and
15706 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
15707 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
15708 default file modes the new mail files get:
15711 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15712 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
15714 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15715 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
15718 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
15719 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
15720 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
15721 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
15722 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
15723 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
15724 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
15726 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
15727 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
15728 @findex delete-file
15729 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
15731 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15732 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15733 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
15734 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
15735 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
15737 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15738 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15739 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
15740 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
15741 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
15743 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
15744 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
15745 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
15750 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
15751 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
15752 @cindex mail splitting
15753 @cindex fancy mail splitting
15755 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
15756 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
15757 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
15758 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
15759 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
15760 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
15762 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
15765 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
15766 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
15767 ;; @r{from real errors.}
15768 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
15770 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
15771 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
15772 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
15773 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
15774 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
15775 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
15776 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
15777 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
15778 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
15779 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
15780 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
15781 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
15782 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
15783 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
15784 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
15785 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
15786 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
15790 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
15791 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
15792 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
15797 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
15798 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
15800 @c Don't fold this line.
15801 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
15802 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
15803 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
15804 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
15807 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
15808 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
15809 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
15810 @var{split} is processed.
15812 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
15813 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
15814 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
15815 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15817 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
15818 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
15819 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
15820 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
15821 stored in one or more groups.
15823 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
15824 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
15825 process all @var{split}s in the list.
15828 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
15829 this message. Use with extreme caution.
15831 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
15832 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
15833 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
15834 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
15837 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
15838 body of the messages:
15841 (defun split-on-body ()
15845 (goto-char (point-min))
15846 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
15850 The buffer is narrowed to the header of the message in question when
15851 @var{function} is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called
15852 after @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
15853 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
15854 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
15855 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
15856 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
15858 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
15859 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
15860 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
15861 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
15862 should return a split.
15865 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
15869 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
15871 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
15872 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
15873 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
15874 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
15878 (any "joe" "joemail")
15882 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
15883 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
15884 of the following three ways:
15888 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
15889 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
15890 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
15891 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
15892 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
15895 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
15898 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
15899 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
15900 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
15901 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
15902 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
15905 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
15906 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
15907 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
15908 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15909 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
15910 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15911 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15914 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
15915 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
15916 they are expanded as specified by the variable
15917 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
15918 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
15919 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
15920 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
15924 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
15926 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
15927 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
15929 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
15932 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
15933 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
15934 when all this splitting is performed.
15936 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
15937 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
15938 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
15941 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
15944 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
15945 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
15947 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
15948 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
15949 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
15950 groupings 1 through 9.
15952 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
15953 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
15954 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
15955 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
15956 groups when users send to an address using different case
15957 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
15960 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
15961 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
15962 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
15963 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
15964 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
15965 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
15966 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
15967 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
15968 it once per thread.
15970 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
15971 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
15972 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
15973 using the colon feature, like so:
15975 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
15976 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
15978 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
15979 ;; @r{other splits go here}
15983 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
15984 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
15985 in the file specified by the variable
15986 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
15987 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
15988 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
15989 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
15990 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
15991 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
15992 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
15993 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
15994 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
15995 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
15996 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
15997 300 kBytes in size.)
15998 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15999 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
16000 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
16001 messages goes into the new group.
16003 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
16004 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
16005 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
16006 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
16007 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
16008 ``outgoing'' group.
16011 @node Group Mail Splitting
16012 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
16013 @cindex mail splitting
16014 @cindex group mail splitting
16016 @findex gnus-group-split
16017 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
16018 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
16019 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
16020 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
16021 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
16022 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
16023 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
16024 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
16026 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
16027 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
16028 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
16029 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
16031 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
16032 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
16033 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
16034 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
16035 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
16036 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
16037 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
16039 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
16040 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
16041 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
16042 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
16043 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
16044 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
16045 @code{gnus-group-split}.
16047 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
16048 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
16049 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
16050 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
16051 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
16052 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
16053 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
16054 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
16055 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
16056 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
16057 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
16058 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
16059 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
16061 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
16066 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
16067 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
16069 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
16070 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
16071 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
16072 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
16074 ((split-spec . catch-all))
16077 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
16078 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
16079 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
16082 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
16083 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
16084 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
16088 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
16089 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
16090 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
16094 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
16097 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
16098 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
16099 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
16100 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
16101 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
16102 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
16103 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
16104 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
16105 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
16107 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
16108 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
16109 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
16110 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
16111 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
16112 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
16113 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
16114 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
16115 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
16117 @findex gnus-group-split-update
16118 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
16119 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
16120 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
16121 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
16122 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
16125 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
16128 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
16129 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
16130 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
16131 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
16132 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
16135 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
16136 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
16137 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
16138 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
16140 @node Incorporating Old Mail
16141 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
16142 @cindex incorporating old mail
16143 @cindex import old mail
16145 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
16146 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
16147 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
16150 Doing so can be quite easy.
16152 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
16153 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
16154 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
16155 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
16156 your @code{nnml} groups.
16162 Go to the group buffer.
16165 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
16166 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
16169 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
16172 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
16173 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16176 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
16177 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
16180 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
16181 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
16182 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
16183 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
16184 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
16186 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
16187 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
16188 using the new mail back end.
16191 @node Expiring Mail
16192 @subsection Expiring Mail
16193 @cindex article expiry
16194 @cindex expiring mail
16196 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
16197 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
16198 different approach to mail reading.
16200 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
16201 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
16202 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
16203 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
16204 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
16205 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
16208 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
16209 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
16210 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
16211 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
16212 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
16213 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
16214 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
16215 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
16216 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
16218 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
16219 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
16220 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
16221 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
16222 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
16223 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
16224 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
16227 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
16228 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
16229 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
16230 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
16231 into its own group.)
16233 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
16234 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
16235 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
16236 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
16237 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
16238 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
16239 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
16240 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
16243 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
16244 Groups that match the regular expression
16245 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
16246 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
16247 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
16249 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
16250 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
16251 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
16252 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
16253 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
16255 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
16257 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
16258 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
16259 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
16262 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
16263 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
16264 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
16265 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
16266 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
16268 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
16269 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
16272 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
16273 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
16276 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
16277 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
16279 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
16280 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
16281 don't really mix very well.
16283 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
16284 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
16285 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
16286 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
16289 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
16290 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
16291 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
16292 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
16295 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16297 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16299 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
16301 ((string= group "mail.junk")
16303 ((string= group "important")
16309 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
16310 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
16312 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
16313 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
16314 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
16317 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
16318 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16320 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
16321 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
16322 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
16323 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
16324 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
16325 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
16326 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
16327 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
16328 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
16329 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
16330 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
16331 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
16332 name or @code{delete}.
16334 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
16336 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
16339 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
16340 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
16341 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
16342 expire mail to groups according to the variable
16343 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
16346 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
16347 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
16348 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
16349 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
16350 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
16353 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
16354 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
16355 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
16356 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
16357 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
16358 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
16360 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
16361 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
16362 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
16363 easier for procmail users.
16365 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
16366 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
16367 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
16368 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
16369 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
16370 caution. Even more dangerous is the
16371 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
16372 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
16373 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
16374 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
16375 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
16376 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
16377 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
16380 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
16382 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
16383 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
16384 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
16385 auto-expire turned on.
16387 @vindex gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable
16388 The expirable marks of articles will be removed when copying or moving
16389 them to a group in which auto-expire is not turned on. This is for
16390 preventing articles from being expired unintentionally. On the other
16391 hand, to a group that has turned auto-expire on, the expirable marks of
16392 articles that are copied or moved will not be changed by default. I.e.,
16393 when copying or moving to such a group, articles that were expirable
16394 will be left expirable and ones that were not expirable will not be
16395 marked as expirable. So, even though in auto-expire groups, some
16396 articles will never get expired (unless you read them again). If you
16397 don't side with that behavior that unexpirable articles may be mixed
16398 into auto-expire groups, you can set
16399 @code{gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable} to a
16400 non-@code{nil} value. In that case, articles that have been read will
16401 be marked as expirable automatically when being copied or moved to a
16402 group that has auto-expire turned on. The default value is @code{nil}.
16406 @subsection Washing Mail
16407 @cindex mail washing
16408 @cindex list server brain damage
16409 @cindex incoming mail treatment
16411 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
16412 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
16413 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
16414 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
16415 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
16416 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
16418 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
16419 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
16420 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
16423 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
16424 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
16425 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
16426 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
16429 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
16430 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
16431 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
16432 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
16433 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
16436 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
16437 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
16438 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
16439 Emacs running on MS machines.
16443 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
16444 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
16445 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
16446 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
16449 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
16450 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
16451 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
16452 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
16454 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
16455 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
16456 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
16457 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
16458 into a feature by documenting it.)
16460 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
16461 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
16462 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
16463 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
16464 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
16465 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
16466 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
16469 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
16470 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
16473 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
16474 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
16477 This can also be done non-destructively with
16478 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
16480 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
16481 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
16482 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
16484 @item nnmail-ignore-broken-references
16485 @findex nnmail-ignore-broken-references
16486 @c @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
16489 Some mail user agents (e.g. Eudora and Pegasus) produce broken
16490 @code{References} headers, but correct @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This
16491 function will get rid of the @code{References} header if the headers
16492 contain a line matching the regular expression
16493 @code{nnmail-broken-references-mailers}.
16497 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
16498 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
16499 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
16503 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
16504 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
16505 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
16512 @subsection Duplicates
16514 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
16515 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
16516 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
16517 @cindex duplicate mails
16518 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
16519 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
16520 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
16521 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
16522 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
16523 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
16524 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
16525 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
16526 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
16527 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
16528 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
16529 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
16530 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
16532 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
16533 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
16534 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
16535 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
16537 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
16540 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
16541 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
16545 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
16546 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
16547 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
16548 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
16549 (any mail "mail.misc")
16550 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16556 (setq nnmail-split-methods
16557 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
16558 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16562 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
16563 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
16564 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
16565 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
16566 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
16569 @node Not Reading Mail
16570 @subsection Not Reading Mail
16572 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
16573 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
16574 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
16576 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
16577 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
16578 mail, which should help.
16580 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16581 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16582 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16583 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16584 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16585 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
16586 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old (pre-Emacs
16587 23) Rmail file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
16588 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
16589 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
16590 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
16592 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
16593 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
16597 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
16598 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
16600 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
16601 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
16602 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
16604 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
16605 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
16606 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
16610 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
16611 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
16612 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
16613 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
16614 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
16615 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
16616 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
16620 @node Unix Mail Box
16621 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
16623 @cindex unix mail box
16625 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16626 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16627 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
16628 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
16629 which group it belongs in.
16631 Virtual server settings:
16634 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
16635 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16636 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
16639 @item nnmbox-active-file
16640 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16641 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
16642 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
16644 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
16645 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16646 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
16647 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
16652 @subsubsection Babyl
16655 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16656 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16657 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box to store mail.
16658 @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail article to say which
16659 group it belongs in.
16661 Virtual server settings:
16664 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
16665 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16666 The name of the Babyl file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
16668 @item nnbabyl-active-file
16669 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16670 The name of the active file for the Babyl file. The default is
16671 @file{~/.rmail-active}
16673 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16674 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16675 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
16681 @subsubsection Mail Spool
16683 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
16685 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
16686 format. It should be used with some caution.
16688 @vindex nnml-directory
16689 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
16690 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
16691 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
16692 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
16694 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
16697 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
16698 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
16699 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
16700 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
16701 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
16702 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
16703 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
16704 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
16706 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
16707 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
16708 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
16709 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
16711 @cindex self contained nnml servers
16713 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
16714 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
16715 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
16716 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
16717 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
16718 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
16719 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
16720 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
16723 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
16724 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
16725 them next time it starts.
16727 Virtual server settings:
16730 @item nnml-directory
16731 @vindex nnml-directory
16732 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
16733 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
16736 @item nnml-active-file
16737 @vindex nnml-active-file
16738 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
16739 @file{~/Mail/active}.
16741 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
16742 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
16743 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16744 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
16746 @item nnml-get-new-mail
16747 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16748 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
16751 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
16752 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
16753 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16754 default is @code{nil}.
16756 @item nnml-nov-file-name
16757 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
16758 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
16760 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16761 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16762 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
16764 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
16765 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
16766 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
16767 default is @code{nil}.
16769 @item nnml-marks-file-name
16770 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
16771 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
16773 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
16774 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
16775 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
16776 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
16777 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
16778 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
16779 as the file extension specifying the compression program. You can set it
16780 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
16781 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
16783 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16784 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16785 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
16786 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
16787 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
16791 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
16792 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
16793 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
16794 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
16795 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
16796 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
16797 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
16802 @subsubsection MH Spool
16804 @cindex mh-e mail spool
16806 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
16807 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
16808 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
16809 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
16812 Virtual server settings:
16815 @item nnmh-directory
16816 @vindex nnmh-directory
16817 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
16818 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
16821 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
16822 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16823 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
16827 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
16828 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
16829 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
16830 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
16831 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
16832 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
16833 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
16838 @subsubsection Maildir
16842 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
16843 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
16844 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
16845 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
16846 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
16849 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
16850 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
16851 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
16852 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
16853 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
16854 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
16855 that appear as group in Gnus.
16857 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
16858 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
16859 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
16861 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
16862 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
16863 another, and you will keep your marks.
16865 Virtual server settings:
16869 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
16870 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
16871 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
16872 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
16873 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
16874 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
16875 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
16876 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
16877 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
16878 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
16880 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
16881 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
16882 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
16883 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
16884 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
16885 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
16886 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
16887 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
16888 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
16889 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
16892 @item target-prefix
16893 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
16894 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
16895 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
16898 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
16899 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
16900 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
16901 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
16902 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
16903 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
16904 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
16905 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
16906 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
16908 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
16909 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
16910 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
16911 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
16912 symlinks pointing to them will be).
16914 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
16915 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
16916 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
16917 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
16918 @code{force} argument.
16920 @item directory-files
16921 This should be a function with the same interface as
16922 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
16923 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
16924 parameter is optional; the default is
16925 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
16926 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
16927 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
16928 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
16929 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
16930 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
16933 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
16934 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
16935 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
16936 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
16937 value is @code{nil}.
16939 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
16940 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
16941 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
16942 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
16943 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
16946 @subsubsection Group parameters
16948 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
16949 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
16950 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
16951 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
16952 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
16953 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
16956 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
16957 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
16958 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
16959 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
16960 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
16961 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
16962 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
16963 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
16964 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
16968 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
16969 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
16970 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
16971 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
16972 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
16973 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
16974 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
16975 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
16976 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
16977 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
16978 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
16979 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
16980 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
16983 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
16985 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
16987 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
16988 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
16989 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
16990 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
16991 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
16992 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
16993 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
16994 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
16995 article. So that form can refer to
16996 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
16997 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
16998 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
16999 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
17002 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
17003 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
17004 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
17005 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
17006 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
17007 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
17008 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
17009 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
17010 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
17011 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
17012 contain extra copies of the articles.
17014 @item directory-files
17015 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
17016 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
17017 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
17018 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
17020 @item distrust-Lines:
17021 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
17022 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
17023 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
17026 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
17027 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
17028 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
17029 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
17030 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
17031 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
17034 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
17035 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
17036 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
17037 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
17038 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
17039 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
17040 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
17042 @item nov-cache-size
17043 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
17044 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
17045 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
17046 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
17047 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
17048 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
17049 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
17050 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
17051 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
17052 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
17053 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
17056 @subsubsection Article identification
17057 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
17058 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
17059 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
17060 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
17061 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
17062 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
17063 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
17064 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
17065 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
17066 request the article in the summary buffer.
17068 @subsubsection NOV data
17069 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
17070 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
17071 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
17072 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
17073 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
17074 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
17075 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
17076 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
17077 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
17078 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
17079 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
17081 @subsubsection Article marks
17082 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
17083 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
17084 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
17085 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
17086 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
17087 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
17088 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
17089 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
17091 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
17092 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
17093 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
17094 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
17095 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
17096 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
17097 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
17098 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
17099 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
17103 @subsubsection Mail Folders
17105 @cindex mbox folders
17106 @cindex mail folders
17108 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
17109 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
17110 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
17111 numbers and arrival dates.
17113 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
17115 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
17116 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
17117 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
17118 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
17119 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
17120 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
17121 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
17122 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
17123 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
17124 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
17126 Virtual server settings:
17129 @item nnfolder-directory
17130 @vindex nnfolder-directory
17131 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
17132 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
17133 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
17135 @item nnfolder-active-file
17136 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
17137 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
17139 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
17140 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
17141 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
17142 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
17144 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
17145 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
17146 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
17147 default is @code{t}
17149 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
17150 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
17151 @cindex backup files
17152 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
17153 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
17154 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
17155 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
17158 (defun turn-off-backup ()
17159 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
17161 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
17164 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
17165 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
17166 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
17167 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
17168 extract some information from it before removing it.
17170 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
17171 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
17172 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
17173 default is @code{nil}.
17175 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
17176 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
17177 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
17179 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
17180 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
17181 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
17182 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
17184 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
17185 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
17186 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
17187 default is @code{nil}.
17189 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
17190 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
17191 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
17193 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
17194 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
17195 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
17196 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
17201 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
17202 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
17203 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
17204 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
17205 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
17206 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
17209 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
17210 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
17212 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
17213 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
17214 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
17215 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
17216 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
17218 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
17219 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
17220 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
17221 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
17222 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
17223 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
17224 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
17225 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
17228 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
17229 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
17230 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
17231 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
17236 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
17237 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
17238 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
17239 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
17240 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
17241 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
17242 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
17243 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
17244 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
17245 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
17246 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
17247 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
17248 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
17253 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
17254 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
17255 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
17256 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
17257 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
17258 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
17259 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
17260 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
17261 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
17262 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
17263 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
17264 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
17265 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
17266 course, and is still maintained within Emacs. Since Emacs 23, it
17267 uses standard mbox format rather than Babyl.
17269 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
17270 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
17275 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
17276 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
17277 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
17278 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
17279 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
17280 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
17281 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
17282 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
17283 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
17284 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
17285 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
17286 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
17287 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
17288 provided by the active file and overviews.
17290 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
17291 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
17292 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
17293 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
17294 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
17297 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
17298 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
17303 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
17304 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
17305 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
17306 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
17307 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
17308 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
17309 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
17313 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
17314 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
17315 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
17316 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
17317 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
17318 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
17319 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
17320 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
17321 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
17323 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
17324 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
17325 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
17326 friendly mail back end all over.
17330 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
17331 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
17334 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
17335 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
17336 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
17337 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
17338 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
17339 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
17340 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
17341 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
17344 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
17345 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
17346 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
17347 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
17348 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
17349 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
17350 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
17351 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
17352 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
17353 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
17354 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
17356 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
17357 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
17358 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
17359 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
17360 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
17363 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
17364 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
17365 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
17366 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
17367 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
17368 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
17369 removed in the future.
17371 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
17372 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
17373 on your file system.
17375 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
17376 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
17381 @node Browsing the Web
17382 @section Browsing the Web
17384 @cindex browsing the web
17388 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
17389 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
17390 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
17391 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
17392 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
17393 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
17394 even know what a news group is.
17396 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
17397 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
17398 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
17399 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
17400 you mad in the end.
17402 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
17405 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
17406 interfaces to these sources.
17410 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
17411 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
17412 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
17415 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
17416 alternatives to work.
17418 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
17419 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
17420 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
17421 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
17422 though, you should be ok.
17424 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
17425 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
17426 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
17427 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
17428 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
17430 @node Archiving Mail
17431 @subsection Archiving Mail
17432 @cindex archiving mail
17433 @cindex backup of mail
17435 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
17436 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
17437 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
17438 marks is fairly simple.
17440 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
17441 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
17444 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
17445 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
17446 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
17447 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
17448 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
17449 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
17450 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
17451 before you restore the data.
17453 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
17454 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
17455 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
17456 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
17457 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
17458 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
17459 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
17460 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
17461 is unnecessary in that case.
17464 @subsection Web Searches
17469 @cindex Usenet searches
17470 @cindex searching the Usenet
17472 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
17473 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
17474 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
17475 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
17476 searches without having to use a browser.
17478 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
17479 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
17480 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
17481 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
17482 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
17484 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
17485 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
17486 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
17487 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
17488 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
17489 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
17490 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
17491 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
17492 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
17493 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
17496 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
17497 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
17498 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
17499 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
17500 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
17501 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
17503 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
17504 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
17505 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
17507 Virtual server variables:
17512 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
17513 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
17514 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
17517 @vindex nnweb-search
17518 The search string to feed to the search engine.
17520 @item nnweb-max-hits
17521 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
17522 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
17525 @item nnweb-type-definition
17526 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
17527 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
17528 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
17533 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
17537 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
17540 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
17543 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
17547 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
17558 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
17559 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
17560 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
17561 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
17562 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
17564 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
17565 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
17567 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
17568 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
17569 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
17572 @kindex G R (Group)
17573 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
17574 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
17575 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
17576 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
17578 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
17579 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
17580 subscribe to groups.
17582 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
17583 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
17584 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
17585 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
17586 variable or other. Also @xref{Non-ASCII Group Names}, for more
17589 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
17590 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
17591 and a @samp{text/html} part.
17594 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
17595 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
17598 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
17599 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
17603 @defun nnrss-opml-export
17604 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
17605 @acronym{OPML} format.
17608 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
17611 @item nnrss-directory
17612 @vindex nnrss-directory
17613 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
17614 @file{~/News/rss/}.
17616 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
17617 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
17618 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
17619 data files. The default is the value of
17620 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
17621 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
17623 @item nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17624 @vindex nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17625 Some feeds update constantly article fields during their publications,
17626 e.g. to indicate the number of comments. However, if there is
17627 a difference between the local article and the distant one, the latter
17628 is considered to be new. To avoid this and discard some fields, set this
17629 variable to the list of fields to be ignored. The default is
17630 @code{'(slash:comments)}.
17632 @item nnrss-use-local
17633 @vindex nnrss-use-local
17634 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
17635 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
17636 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
17637 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
17638 download script using @command{wget}.
17640 @item nnrss-wash-html-in-text-plain-parts
17641 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{nnrss} renders text in @samp{text/plain}
17642 parts as @acronym{HTML}. The function specified by the
17643 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} variable (@pxref{Display Customization,
17644 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) will be used
17645 to render text. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default, text will
17646 simply be folded. Leave it @code{nil} if you prefer to see
17647 @samp{text/html} parts.
17650 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
17651 the summary buffer.
17654 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
17655 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
17657 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
17659 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
17660 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
17663 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
17667 (require 'browse-url)
17669 (defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
17671 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
17674 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
17675 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
17678 (browse-url (cdr url))
17679 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
17680 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
17682 (eval-after-load "gnus"
17683 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
17684 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
17685 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
17688 Even if you have added @samp{text/html} to the
17689 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
17690 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
17691 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
17692 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
17693 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
17694 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
17695 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
17696 @code{nnrss} groups:
17699 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
17700 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
17702 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
17703 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
17704 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
17706 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
17709 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
17713 @node Customizing W3
17714 @subsection Customizing W3
17720 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
17721 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
17722 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
17725 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
17726 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
17727 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
17730 (eval-after-load "w3"
17732 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
17733 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
17734 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
17735 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
17737 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
17740 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
17741 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
17748 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
17750 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
17751 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
17752 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
17753 specify the network address of the server.
17755 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
17756 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
17757 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
17758 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
17759 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
17760 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
17762 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
17763 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
17764 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
17765 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
17767 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
17768 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
17769 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
17770 usage explained in this section.
17772 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
17773 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
17774 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
17778 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
17779 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
17780 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
17782 (nnimap-address "localhost")
17783 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
17784 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
17786 (nnimap-server-port 143)
17787 (nnimap-address "localhost")
17788 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
17789 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
17790 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
17791 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
17792 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
17793 (nnimap-stream network))
17794 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
17796 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
17797 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
17798 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
17801 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
17802 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
17803 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
17804 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
17806 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
17811 @item nnimap-address
17812 @vindex nnimap-address
17814 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
17815 server name if not specified.
17817 @item nnimap-server-port
17818 @vindex nnimap-server-port
17819 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
17821 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
17824 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17825 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
17828 @item nnimap-list-pattern
17829 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
17830 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
17831 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
17832 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
17833 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
17834 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
17836 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
17837 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
17838 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
17841 Example server specification:
17844 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17845 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
17846 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
17849 @item nnimap-stream
17850 @vindex nnimap-stream
17851 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
17852 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
17853 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
17854 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
17855 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
17857 Example server specification:
17860 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17861 (nnimap-stream ssl))
17864 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
17868 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
17869 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
17871 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
17873 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
17874 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
17877 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
17878 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
17880 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
17881 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
17883 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
17885 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
17888 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
17889 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
17890 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
17891 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
17892 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
17893 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
17894 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
17895 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
17896 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
17899 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
17900 needed. It is available from
17901 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
17903 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
17904 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
17905 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
17906 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
17907 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
17908 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
17909 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
17912 @vindex imap-ssl-program
17913 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
17914 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
17915 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
17916 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
17917 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
17918 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
17921 @vindex imap-shell-program
17922 @vindex imap-shell-host
17923 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the
17924 variable @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call. Make
17925 sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g., don't
17926 forget to redirect the error output to the void.
17928 @item nnimap-authenticator
17929 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
17931 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
17932 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
17934 Example server specification:
17937 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17938 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
17941 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
17945 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
17946 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
17948 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
17951 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
17952 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
17954 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
17956 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
17958 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
17961 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
17963 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
17964 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
17965 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
17966 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
17967 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
17968 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
17971 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
17972 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
17973 running in circles yet?
17975 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
17976 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
17979 The possible options are:
17984 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
17987 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
17988 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
17989 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
17990 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
17992 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
17997 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
17998 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
18000 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
18001 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
18002 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
18003 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
18004 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
18007 Probably the only reason for frobbing this would be if you're trying
18008 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
18011 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
18012 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
18013 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
18014 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
18017 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
18018 as ticked for other users.
18020 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
18022 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
18023 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
18025 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
18026 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
18027 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
18028 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
18030 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
18031 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
18032 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
18033 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
18035 However, if @code{nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil}
18036 is true, this variable has no effect since the search logic
18037 is reversed, as described below.
18039 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
18040 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
18042 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
18043 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
18044 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
18045 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
18048 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
18051 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
18052 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
18053 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
18054 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
18057 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
18058 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
18060 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
18061 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
18064 @item nnimap-nov-is-evil
18065 @vindex nnimap-nov-is-evil
18066 @cindex Courier @acronym{IMAP} server
18067 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
18069 Never generate or use a local @acronym{NOV} database. Defaults to the
18070 value of @code{gnus-agent}.
18072 Using a @acronym{NOV} database usually makes header fetching much
18073 faster, but it uses the @code{UID SEARCH UID} command, which is very
18074 slow on some servers (notably some versions of Courier). Since the Gnus
18075 Agent caches the information in the @acronym{NOV} database without using
18076 the slow command, this variable defaults to true if the Agent is in use,
18077 and false otherwise.
18079 @item nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil
18080 @vindex nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil
18081 @cindex Courier @acronym{IMAP} server
18082 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
18084 Avoid the @code{UID SEARCH UID @var{message numbers} NOT SINCE
18085 @var{date}} command, which is slow on some @acronym{IMAP} servers
18086 (notably, some versions of Courier). Instead, use @code{UID SEARCH SINCE
18087 @var{date}} and prune the list of expirable articles within Gnus.
18089 When Gnus expires your mail (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), it starts with a
18090 list of expirable articles and asks the IMAP server questions like ``Of
18091 these articles, which ones are older than a week?'' While this seems
18092 like a perfectly reasonable question, some IMAP servers take a long time
18093 to answer it, since they seemingly go looking into every old article to
18094 see if it is one of the expirable ones. Curiously, the question ``Of
18095 @emph{all} articles, which ones are newer than a week?'' seems to be
18096 much faster to answer, so setting this variable causes Gnus to ask this
18097 question and figure out the answer to the real question itself.
18099 This problem can really sneak up on you: when you first configure Gnus,
18100 everything works fine, but once you accumulate a couple thousand
18101 messages, you start cursing Gnus for being so slow. On the other hand,
18102 if you get a lot of email within a week, setting this variable will
18103 cause a lot of network traffic between Gnus and the IMAP server.
18105 @item nnimap-logout-timeout
18106 @vindex nnimap-logout-timeout
18108 There is a case where a connection to a @acronym{IMAP} server is unable
18109 to close, when connecting to the server via a certain kind of network,
18110 e.g. @acronym{VPN}. In that case, it will be observed that a connection
18111 between Emacs and the local network looks alive even if the server has
18112 closed a connection for some reason (typically, a timeout).
18113 Consequently, Emacs continues waiting for a response from the server for
18114 the @code{LOGOUT} command that Emacs sent, or hangs in other words. If
18115 you are in such a network, setting this variable to a number of seconds
18116 will be helpful. If it is set, a hung connection will be closed
18117 forcibly, after this number of seconds from the time Emacs sends the
18118 @code{LOGOUT} command. It should not be too small value but too large
18119 value will be inconvenient too. Perhaps the value 1.0 will be a good
18120 candidate but it might be worth trying some other values.
18122 Example server specification:
18125 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
18126 (nnimap-logout-timeout 1.0))
18132 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
18133 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
18134 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
18135 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
18136 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
18137 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
18142 @node Splitting in IMAP
18143 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
18144 @cindex splitting imap mail
18146 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
18147 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
18148 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
18149 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
18150 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
18154 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
18155 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
18156 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
18158 Here are the variables of interest:
18162 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
18163 @cindex splitting, crosspost
18165 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
18167 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
18168 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
18169 found will be used.
18171 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
18173 @item nnimap-split-inbox
18174 @cindex splitting, inbox
18176 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
18178 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
18179 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
18180 splitting is disabled!
18183 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
18184 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
18187 No nnmail equivalent.
18189 @item nnimap-split-rule
18190 @cindex splitting, rules
18191 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
18193 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
18196 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
18197 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
18198 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
18199 Neither did I, we need examples.
18202 (setq nnimap-split-rule
18204 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
18205 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
18206 ("INBOX.private" "")))
18209 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
18210 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
18211 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
18213 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
18214 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
18218 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
18221 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
18222 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
18224 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
18225 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
18226 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
18227 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
18229 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
18230 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
18231 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
18232 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
18233 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
18234 them every time you fetch new mail.)
18236 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
18237 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
18238 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
18240 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
18241 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
18242 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
18244 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
18246 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
18247 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
18248 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
18251 (setq nnimap-split-rule
18252 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
18253 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
18254 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
18255 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
18256 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
18259 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
18260 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
18261 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
18262 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
18263 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
18264 group/function elements.
18266 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
18268 @item nnimap-split-predicate
18270 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
18272 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
18273 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
18275 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
18276 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
18277 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
18280 @item nnimap-split-fancy
18281 @cindex splitting, fancy
18282 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
18283 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
18285 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
18286 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
18287 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
18289 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
18290 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
18291 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
18292 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
18297 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
18298 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
18301 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
18303 @item nnimap-split-download-body
18304 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
18305 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
18307 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
18308 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
18309 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
18310 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
18314 @node Expiring in IMAP
18315 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
18316 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
18318 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
18319 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
18320 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
18321 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
18322 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
18323 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
18326 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
18327 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
18328 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
18329 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
18330 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
18331 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
18332 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
18333 messages. Most do, fortunately.
18335 If expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail seems very slow, try setting the server
18336 variable @code{nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil}.
18340 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
18341 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
18343 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
18344 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
18346 @item nnmail-expiry-target
18348 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
18349 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
18350 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
18351 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
18355 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
18356 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
18357 @cindex editing imap acls
18358 @cindex Access Control Lists
18359 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
18360 @kindex G l (Group)
18361 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
18363 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
18364 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
18365 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
18368 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
18369 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
18370 editing window with detailed instructions.
18372 Some possible uses:
18376 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
18377 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
18378 follow the list without subscribing to it.
18380 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
18381 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
18382 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
18386 @node Expunging mailboxes
18387 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
18391 @cindex manual expunging
18392 @kindex G x (Group)
18393 @findex gnus-group-expunge-group
18395 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
18396 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
18397 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
18399 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
18402 @node A note on namespaces
18403 @subsection A note on namespaces
18404 @cindex IMAP namespace
18407 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
18408 by the following text in the RFC2060:
18411 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
18413 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
18414 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
18415 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
18416 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
18418 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
18419 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
18420 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
18421 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
18422 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
18423 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
18426 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
18427 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
18428 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
18430 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
18431 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
18432 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
18433 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
18434 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
18435 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
18436 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
18437 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
18440 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
18441 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
18442 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
18444 @node Debugging IMAP
18445 @subsection Debugging IMAP
18446 @cindex IMAP debugging
18447 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
18449 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
18450 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
18451 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
18452 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
18454 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
18455 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
18456 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
18457 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
18458 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
18459 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
18460 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
18464 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
18465 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
18472 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
18473 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
18474 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
18475 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
18478 @node Other Sources
18479 @section Other Sources
18481 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
18482 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
18486 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
18487 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
18488 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
18489 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
18493 @node Directory Groups
18494 @subsection Directory Groups
18496 @cindex directory groups
18498 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
18499 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
18502 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
18503 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
18504 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
18505 back end to read directories. Big deal.
18507 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
18508 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
18509 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
18510 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
18511 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
18513 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
18515 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
18516 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
18517 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
18518 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
18521 @node Anything Groups
18522 @subsection Anything Groups
18525 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
18526 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
18527 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
18530 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
18531 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
18532 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
18533 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
18534 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
18535 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
18536 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
18537 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
18538 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
18539 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
18542 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
18543 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
18544 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
18545 in the article buffer, just as usual.
18547 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
18548 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
18549 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
18550 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
18552 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
18553 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
18554 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
18555 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
18556 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
18557 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
18558 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
18559 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
18564 @item nneething-map-file-directory
18565 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
18566 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
18567 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
18569 @item nneething-exclude-files
18570 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
18571 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
18572 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
18574 @item nneething-include-files
18575 @vindex nneething-include-files
18576 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
18577 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
18579 @item nneething-map-file
18580 @vindex nneething-map-file
18581 Name of the map files.
18585 @node Document Groups
18586 @subsection Document Groups
18588 @cindex documentation group
18591 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
18592 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
18602 The standard Unix mbox file.
18604 @cindex MMDF mail box
18606 The MMDF mail box format.
18609 Several news articles appended into a file.
18611 @cindex rnews batch files
18613 The rnews batch transport format.
18616 Netscape mail boxes.
18619 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
18621 @item standard-digest
18622 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
18625 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
18627 @item lanl-gov-announce
18628 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
18630 @cindex forwarded messages
18631 @item rfc822-forward
18632 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
18635 The Outlook mail box.
18638 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
18641 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
18644 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
18647 An RFC934-forwarded message.
18653 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
18656 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
18662 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
18663 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
18664 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
18667 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
18668 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
18669 group. And that's it.
18671 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
18672 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
18673 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
18674 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
18675 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
18676 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
18677 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
18678 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
18679 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
18680 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
18682 Virtual server variables:
18685 @item nndoc-article-type
18686 @vindex nndoc-article-type
18687 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
18688 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
18689 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
18690 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
18691 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
18693 @item nndoc-post-type
18694 @vindex nndoc-post-type
18695 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
18696 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
18701 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
18705 @node Document Server Internals
18706 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
18708 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
18709 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
18710 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
18711 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
18713 First, here's an example document type definition:
18717 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
18718 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
18721 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
18722 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
18723 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
18724 types can be defined with very few settings:
18727 @item first-article
18728 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
18729 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
18732 @item article-begin
18733 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
18734 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
18735 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
18736 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
18738 @item article-begin-function
18739 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
18740 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
18743 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
18744 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
18745 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
18747 @item head-begin-function
18748 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
18749 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
18752 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
18753 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
18756 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
18757 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
18758 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
18760 @item body-begin-function
18761 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
18762 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
18765 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
18766 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
18767 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
18769 @item body-end-function
18770 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
18771 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
18774 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
18775 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
18778 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
18779 regexp will be totally ignored.
18783 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
18784 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
18785 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
18786 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
18787 something that's palatable for Gnus:
18790 @item prepare-body-function
18791 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
18792 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
18793 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
18795 @item article-transform-function
18796 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
18797 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
18798 body of the article.
18800 @item generate-head-function
18801 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
18802 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
18803 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
18804 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
18806 @item generate-article-function
18807 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
18808 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
18809 parameter when requesting all articles.
18811 @item dissection-function
18812 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
18813 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
18814 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
18815 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
18816 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
18817 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
18821 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
18826 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
18827 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
18828 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
18829 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
18830 (head-end . "^ ?$")
18831 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
18832 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
18833 (subtype digest guess))
18836 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
18837 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
18838 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
18839 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
18840 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
18842 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
18843 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
18844 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
18845 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
18846 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
18847 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
18848 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
18849 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
18850 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
18851 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
18852 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
18853 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
18856 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
18857 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
18858 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
18861 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
18862 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
18863 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
18865 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
18871 @item nngateway-address
18872 @vindex nngateway-address
18873 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
18875 @item nngateway-header-transformation
18876 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
18877 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
18878 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
18879 transformation should be called, and defaults to
18880 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
18881 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
18884 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
18885 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
18886 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
18889 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
18892 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
18895 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
18898 The following pre-defined functions exist:
18900 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18903 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18904 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18905 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
18907 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18909 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18910 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18911 @code{nngateway-address}.
18919 (setq gnus-post-method
18921 "mail2news@@replay.com"
18922 (nngateway-header-transformation
18923 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
18926 So, to use this, simply say something like:
18929 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
18934 @node Combined Groups
18935 @section Combined Groups
18937 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
18941 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
18945 @node Virtual Groups
18946 @subsection Virtual Groups
18948 @cindex virtual groups
18949 @cindex merging groups
18951 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
18954 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
18955 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
18956 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
18958 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
18959 regexp to match component groups.
18961 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
18962 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
18963 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
18964 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
18965 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
18966 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
18967 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
18968 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
18970 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
18971 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
18974 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
18977 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
18978 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
18980 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
18981 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
18982 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
18983 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
18986 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
18989 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
18990 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
18991 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
18993 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
18994 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
18995 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
18996 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
18997 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
18999 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
19000 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
19001 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
19003 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
19004 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
19005 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
19006 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
19007 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
19008 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
19009 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
19010 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
19011 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
19012 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
19013 it---it'll have much the same effect.
19015 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
19016 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
19017 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
19018 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
19019 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
19020 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
19021 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
19023 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
19024 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
19026 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
19027 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
19031 @node Email Based Diary
19032 @section Email Based Diary
19034 @cindex email based diary
19037 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
19038 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
19039 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
19040 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
19041 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
19042 namely, as event reminders.
19044 Here is a typical scenario:
19048 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
19049 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
19051 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
19053 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
19055 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
19056 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
19057 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
19059 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
19060 of the night you're gonna have.
19062 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
19063 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
19066 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
19067 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
19068 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
19069 explained in the sections below.
19072 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
19073 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
19074 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
19078 @node The NNDiary Back End
19079 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
19081 @cindex the nndiary back end
19083 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
19084 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
19085 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
19086 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
19087 directory per group.
19089 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
19090 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
19091 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
19092 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
19095 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
19096 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
19097 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
19100 @node Diary Messages
19101 @subsubsection Diary Messages
19102 @cindex nndiary messages
19103 @cindex nndiary mails
19105 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
19106 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
19107 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
19108 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
19109 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
19110 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
19111 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
19115 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
19116 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
19117 (separated by a comma).
19119 A field is either an integer, or a range.
19121 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
19123 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
19124 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
19125 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
19127 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
19128 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
19129 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
19131 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
19132 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
19133 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
19134 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
19135 list of available time zone values, see the variable
19136 @code{nndiary-headers}.
19139 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
19140 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
19141 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
19146 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
19149 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
19151 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
19154 @node Running NNDiary
19155 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
19156 @cindex running nndiary
19157 @cindex nndiary operation modes
19159 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
19160 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
19161 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
19162 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
19163 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
19164 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
19166 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
19167 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
19168 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
19169 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
19170 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
19171 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
19172 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
19175 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
19180 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
19181 line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
19184 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
19187 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
19188 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
19189 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
19190 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
19191 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
19193 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
19194 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
19203 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
19204 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
19206 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
19207 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
19208 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
19209 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
19212 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
19213 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
19214 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
19217 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
19218 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
19219 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
19221 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
19222 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
19223 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
19224 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
19225 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
19227 @node Customizing NNDiary
19228 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
19229 @cindex customizing nndiary
19230 @cindex nndiary customization
19232 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
19233 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
19234 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
19235 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
19237 @defvar nndiary-reminders
19238 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
19239 appointments (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
19240 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
19241 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
19245 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
19246 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
19251 @node The Gnus Diary Library
19252 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
19254 @cindex the gnus diary library
19256 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
19257 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
19258 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
19259 useful things for you.
19261 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
19264 (require 'gnus-diary)
19267 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
19268 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
19269 (sorry if you used them before).
19273 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
19274 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
19275 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
19276 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
19279 @node Diary Summary Line Format
19280 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
19281 @cindex diary summary buffer line
19282 @cindex diary summary line format
19284 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
19285 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
19286 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
19287 see the event's date.
19289 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
19290 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
19291 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
19292 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
19293 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
19295 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
19296 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
19297 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
19300 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
19303 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
19304 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
19307 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
19310 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
19311 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
19312 with the following user options:
19314 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
19315 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
19316 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
19317 diary groups'parameters.
19320 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
19321 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
19322 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
19325 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
19326 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
19327 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
19328 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
19329 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
19332 @node Diary Articles Sorting
19333 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
19334 @cindex diary articles sorting
19335 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
19336 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
19337 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
19338 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
19340 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
19341 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
19342 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
19343 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
19344 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
19346 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
19347 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
19348 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
19349 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
19352 @node Diary Headers Generation
19353 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
19354 @cindex diary headers generation
19355 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
19357 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
19358 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
19359 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
19360 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
19363 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
19364 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
19365 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c C-f d} in
19366 @code{message-mode} and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the
19367 process of converting a usual mail to a diary one.
19369 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
19370 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
19371 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
19374 @node Diary Group Parameters
19375 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
19376 @cindex diary group parameters
19378 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
19379 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
19380 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
19381 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
19382 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
19383 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
19384 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
19385 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
19387 @node Sending or Not Sending
19388 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
19390 Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
19391 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
19395 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
19396 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
19397 appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
19398 sending the diary message to them as well.
19400 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
19401 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
19402 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
19403 comes in very handy for private appointments.
19406 @node Gnus Unplugged
19407 @section Gnus Unplugged
19412 @cindex Gnus unplugged
19414 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
19415 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
19416 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
19417 read news. Believe it or not.
19419 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
19420 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
19421 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
19422 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
19423 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
19425 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
19426 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
19427 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
19428 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
19429 reading news on a machine.
19431 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
19432 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
19433 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
19435 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
19438 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
19439 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
19440 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
19441 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
19442 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
19443 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
19444 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
19445 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
19446 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
19447 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
19448 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
19449 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
19450 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
19451 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
19456 @subsection Agent Basics
19458 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
19460 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
19461 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
19462 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
19463 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
19465 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
19466 connected to the net continuously.
19468 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
19469 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
19471 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
19472 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
19473 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
19474 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
19475 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
19477 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
19478 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
19479 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
19480 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
19481 they're kinda like plugged always).
19483 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
19484 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
19485 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
19488 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
19489 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
19490 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
19491 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
19492 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
19494 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
19499 @findex gnus-unplugged
19500 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
19501 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
19502 already fetched while in this mode.
19505 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
19506 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
19507 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
19508 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
19509 Source Specifiers}).
19512 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
19513 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
19514 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
19515 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
19516 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
19519 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
19520 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
19521 then you read the news offline.
19524 And then you go to step 2.
19527 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
19533 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
19534 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
19535 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
19536 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
19537 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
19538 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
19539 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
19540 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
19543 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
19544 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
19545 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
19546 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
19548 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
19549 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
19550 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
19551 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
19552 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
19553 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
19557 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
19561 @node Agent Categories
19562 @subsection Agent Categories
19564 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
19565 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
19566 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
19567 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
19568 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
19569 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
19570 you're interested in the articles anyway.
19572 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
19573 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
19574 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
19575 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
19576 buffer for creating and managing categories.
19578 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
19579 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
19580 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
19581 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
19582 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
19585 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
19586 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
19587 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
19588 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
19589 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
19590 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
19594 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
19595 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
19596 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
19600 @node Category Syntax
19601 @subsubsection Category Syntax
19603 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
19604 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
19605 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
19608 @cindex Agent Parameters
19611 The list of groups that are in this category.
19613 @item agent-predicate
19614 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
19615 are eligible for downloading; and
19618 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
19619 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
19620 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
19622 @item agent-enable-expiration
19623 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
19624 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
19625 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
19626 only groups that should not be expired.
19628 @item agent-days-until-old
19629 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
19630 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
19632 @item agent-low-score
19633 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
19635 @item agent-high-score
19636 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
19638 @item agent-short-article
19639 an integer that overrides the value of
19640 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
19642 @item agent-long-article
19643 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
19645 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
19646 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
19647 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
19648 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
19649 undownloaded faces.
19652 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
19655 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
19656 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
19657 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
19660 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
19661 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
19662 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
19663 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
19665 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
19666 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
19667 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
19669 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
19670 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
19671 operators sprinkled in between.
19673 Perhaps some examples are in order.
19675 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
19676 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
19682 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
19683 short (for some value of ``short'').
19685 Here's a more complex predicate:
19694 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
19695 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
19698 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
19699 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
19700 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
19702 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
19703 you want to do, you can write your own.
19705 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
19706 bound to the value determined by calling
19707 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
19708 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
19709 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
19710 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
19711 predicate to individual groups.
19715 True if the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
19716 lines; default 100.
19719 True if the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
19720 lines; default 200.
19723 True if the article has a download score less than
19724 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
19727 True if the article has a download score greater than
19728 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
19731 True if the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
19732 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
19733 checksum and sees whether articles match.
19742 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
19743 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
19744 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
19747 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
19748 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
19749 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
19750 something along the lines of the following:
19753 (defun my-article-old-p ()
19754 "Say whether an article is old."
19755 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
19756 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
19759 with the predicate then defined as:
19762 (not my-article-old-p)
19765 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
19766 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
19770 (require 'gnus-agent)
19771 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
19772 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
19773 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
19776 and simply specify your predicate as:
19782 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
19783 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
19784 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
19785 just don't give a damn.
19787 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
19788 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
19789 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
19790 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
19791 parameters like so:
19794 (agent-predicate . short)
19797 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
19798 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
19799 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
19801 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
19804 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
19807 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
19808 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
19809 predicate is assumed to be a list.
19812 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
19813 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
19814 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
19815 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
19816 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
19817 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
19819 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
19820 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
19821 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
19822 if it's to be specific to that group.
19824 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
19831 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
19832 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
19838 Category specification
19842 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19848 Group/Topic Parameter specification
19851 (agent-score ("from"
19852 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19857 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
19863 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
19864 keywords stated above.
19870 Category specification
19873 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
19879 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
19883 Group Parameter specification
19886 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
19889 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
19894 Use @code{normal} score files
19896 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
19897 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
19898 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
19899 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
19901 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
19902 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
19903 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
19904 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
19908 Category Specification
19915 Group Parameter specification
19918 (agent-score . file)
19923 @node Category Buffer
19924 @subsubsection Category Buffer
19926 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
19927 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
19928 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
19930 The following commands are available in this buffer:
19934 @kindex q (Category)
19935 @findex gnus-category-exit
19936 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
19939 @kindex e (Category)
19940 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
19941 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
19942 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
19945 @kindex k (Category)
19946 @findex gnus-category-kill
19947 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
19950 @kindex c (Category)
19951 @findex gnus-category-copy
19952 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
19955 @kindex a (Category)
19956 @findex gnus-category-add
19957 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
19960 @kindex p (Category)
19961 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
19962 Edit the predicate of the current category
19963 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
19966 @kindex g (Category)
19967 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
19968 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
19969 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
19972 @kindex s (Category)
19973 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
19974 Edit the download score rule of the current category
19975 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
19978 @kindex l (Category)
19979 @findex gnus-category-list
19980 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
19984 @node Category Variables
19985 @subsubsection Category Variables
19988 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
19989 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
19990 Hook run in category buffers.
19992 @item gnus-category-line-format
19993 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
19994 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
19995 Variables}). Valid elements are:
19999 The name of the category.
20002 The number of groups in the category.
20005 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
20006 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
20007 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
20009 @item gnus-agent-short-article
20010 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
20011 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
20013 @item gnus-agent-long-article
20014 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
20015 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
20017 @item gnus-agent-low-score
20018 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
20019 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
20022 @item gnus-agent-high-score
20023 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
20024 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
20027 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
20028 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
20029 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
20030 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
20031 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
20032 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
20033 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
20034 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
20038 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
20039 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
20040 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
20041 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
20042 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
20043 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
20044 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
20049 @node Agent Commands
20050 @subsection Agent Commands
20051 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
20052 @kindex J j (Agent)
20054 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
20055 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
20056 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
20060 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
20061 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
20062 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
20068 @node Group Agent Commands
20069 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
20073 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
20074 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
20075 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
20076 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
20079 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
20080 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
20081 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
20084 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
20085 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
20086 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
20087 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
20090 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
20091 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
20092 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
20093 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
20096 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
20097 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
20098 Add the current group to an Agent category
20099 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
20100 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20103 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
20104 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
20105 Remove the current group from its category, if any
20106 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
20107 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20110 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
20111 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20112 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
20118 @node Summary Agent Commands
20119 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
20123 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
20124 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
20125 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
20128 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
20129 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
20130 Remove the downloading mark from the article
20131 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
20135 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
20136 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
20137 Toggle whether to download the article
20138 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
20142 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
20143 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
20144 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
20147 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
20148 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
20149 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
20150 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
20153 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
20154 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
20155 Download all processable articles in this group.
20156 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
20159 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
20160 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
20161 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
20162 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
20167 @node Server Agent Commands
20168 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
20172 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
20173 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
20174 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
20175 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
20178 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
20179 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
20180 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
20181 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
20186 @node Agent Visuals
20187 @subsection Agent Visuals
20189 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
20190 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
20191 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
20192 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
20193 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
20194 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
20195 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
20196 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
20197 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
20198 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
20200 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
20201 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
20202 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
20203 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
20204 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
20205 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
20206 the download status of each article so that you always know which
20207 articles will be available when unplugged.
20209 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
20210 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
20211 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
20212 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
20213 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
20214 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
20215 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
20216 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
20218 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
20219 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
20220 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
20221 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
20222 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
20223 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
20224 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
20225 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
20226 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
20228 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
20229 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
20230 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
20231 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
20232 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
20233 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
20234 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
20235 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
20236 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
20237 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
20239 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
20240 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
20241 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
20242 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
20243 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
20244 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20246 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
20247 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
20248 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
20249 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
20250 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
20251 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
20252 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
20253 expiring'' articles.
20255 @node Agent as Cache
20256 @subsection Agent as Cache
20258 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
20259 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
20260 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
20261 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
20262 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
20263 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
20264 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
20265 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
20266 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
20268 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
20269 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
20270 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
20271 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
20272 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
20275 @subsection Agent Expiry
20277 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
20278 @findex gnus-agent-expire
20279 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
20280 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
20281 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
20282 @cindex agent expiry
20283 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
20284 @cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
20286 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
20287 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
20288 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
20289 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
20290 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
20291 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
20292 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
20293 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
20295 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
20296 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
20297 synchronized with the group.
20299 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
20300 prevent expiration in selected groups.
20302 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
20303 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
20304 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
20305 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
20306 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
20307 be kept indefinitely.
20309 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
20310 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
20311 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
20312 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
20314 @node Agent Regeneration
20315 @subsection Agent Regeneration
20317 @cindex agent regeneration
20318 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
20319 @cindex regeneration
20321 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
20322 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
20323 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
20324 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
20325 internal inconsistencies.
20327 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
20328 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
20329 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
20330 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
20331 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
20332 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
20334 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
20335 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
20336 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
20337 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
20338 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
20339 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
20341 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
20342 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
20343 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
20344 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
20345 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
20346 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
20349 @node Agent and flags
20350 @subsection Agent and flags
20352 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
20353 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
20354 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
20355 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
20356 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
20357 to the flags in its own files.
20359 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
20360 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
20361 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
20363 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20364 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
20365 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
20366 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
20367 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
20368 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
20370 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
20371 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
20372 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
20373 in the group buffer.
20375 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
20376 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
20377 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
20378 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
20379 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
20380 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
20381 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
20382 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
20384 @node Agent and IMAP
20385 @subsection Agent and IMAP
20387 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
20388 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
20389 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
20390 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
20392 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
20393 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
20398 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
20401 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
20405 @node Outgoing Messages
20406 @subsection Outgoing Messages
20408 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
20409 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
20410 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
20412 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
20413 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
20414 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
20416 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
20417 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
20418 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
20419 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
20422 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
20423 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
20424 ask you to confirm your action (see
20425 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
20427 @node Agent Variables
20428 @subsection Agent Variables
20433 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
20434 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
20435 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
20436 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
20438 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
20439 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
20442 @item gnus-agent-directory
20443 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
20444 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
20445 @file{~/News/agent/}.
20447 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
20448 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
20449 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
20450 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
20451 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
20454 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
20455 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
20456 Hook run when connecting to the network.
20458 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
20459 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
20460 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
20462 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
20463 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
20464 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
20466 @item gnus-agent-cache
20467 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
20468 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
20469 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
20470 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
20472 @item gnus-agent-go-online
20473 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
20474 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
20475 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
20476 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
20477 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
20478 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
20481 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
20482 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
20483 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
20484 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
20485 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
20486 read. The default is @code{t}.
20488 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20489 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20490 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
20491 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
20492 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
20493 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
20494 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
20496 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
20497 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
20498 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
20499 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
20500 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
20501 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
20502 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
20503 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
20504 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
20505 over and over again.
20507 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
20508 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
20509 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
20510 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
20511 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
20512 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
20513 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
20514 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
20515 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
20516 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
20517 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
20518 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
20521 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
20522 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
20523 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
20524 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
20525 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
20526 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
20527 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
20528 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
20529 is only valid if the Agent is used.
20531 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
20532 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
20533 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
20534 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
20535 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
20536 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
20538 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
20539 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
20540 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
20541 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
20542 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
20544 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
20545 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
20546 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
20547 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
20548 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
20549 mail. The default is @code{t}.
20551 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
20552 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
20553 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
20554 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
20555 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
20557 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
20558 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
20559 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
20560 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
20561 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
20562 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
20563 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
20564 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
20565 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
20566 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
20567 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
20572 @node Example Setup
20573 @subsection Example Setup
20575 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
20576 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
20577 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
20580 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
20581 ;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
20582 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
20584 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
20585 ;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
20586 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
20588 ;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
20589 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
20591 ;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
20592 ;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
20593 ;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
20596 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
20597 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
20600 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
20601 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
20602 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
20603 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
20604 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
20607 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
20608 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
20609 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
20610 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
20611 back all the killed groups.)
20613 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
20614 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
20615 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
20618 @node Batching Agents
20619 @subsection Batching Agents
20620 @findex gnus-agent-batch
20622 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
20623 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
20624 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
20626 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
20627 following incantation:
20631 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
20635 @node Agent Caveats
20636 @subsection Agent Caveats
20638 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
20639 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
20643 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
20645 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
20646 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
20647 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
20649 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
20650 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
20652 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
20656 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
20657 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
20658 locally stored articles.
20665 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
20666 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
20667 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
20670 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
20671 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
20672 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
20673 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
20674 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
20676 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
20677 before generating the summary buffer.
20679 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
20680 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
20681 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
20683 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
20684 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
20685 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
20686 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
20689 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
20690 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
20691 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
20692 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
20693 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
20694 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
20695 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
20696 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
20697 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
20698 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
20699 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
20700 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
20701 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
20702 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
20703 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
20704 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
20708 @node Summary Score Commands
20709 @section Summary Score Commands
20710 @cindex score commands
20712 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
20713 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
20714 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
20715 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
20716 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
20718 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
20719 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
20720 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
20721 score file the current one.
20723 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
20728 @kindex V s (Summary)
20729 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
20730 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
20733 @kindex V S (Summary)
20734 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
20735 Display the score of the current article
20736 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
20739 @kindex V t (Summary)
20740 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
20741 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
20742 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
20743 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
20744 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
20745 score file and edit it.
20748 @kindex V w (Summary)
20749 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
20750 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
20753 @kindex V R (Summary)
20754 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
20755 Run the current summary through the scoring process
20756 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
20757 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
20758 effect you're having.
20761 @kindex V c (Summary)
20762 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
20763 Make a different score file the current
20764 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
20767 @kindex V e (Summary)
20768 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
20769 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
20770 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
20774 @kindex V f (Summary)
20775 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
20776 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
20777 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
20780 @kindex V F (Summary)
20781 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20782 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
20783 after editing score files.
20786 @kindex V C (Summary)
20787 @findex gnus-score-customize
20788 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
20789 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
20793 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
20798 @kindex V m (Summary)
20799 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
20800 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
20801 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
20804 @kindex V x (Summary)
20805 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
20806 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
20807 expunge all articles below this score
20808 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
20811 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
20812 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
20815 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
20816 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
20820 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
20821 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
20823 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
20824 keys are available:
20828 Score on the author name.
20831 Score on the subject line.
20834 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
20837 Score on the @code{References} line.
20843 Score on the number of lines.
20846 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
20849 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
20850 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
20853 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
20854 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
20855 @file{ADAPT} files.)
20864 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
20870 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
20871 what headers you are scoring on.
20883 Substring matching.
20886 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
20915 Greater than number.
20920 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
20921 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
20922 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
20927 Temporary score entry.
20930 Permanent score entry.
20933 Immediately scoring.
20937 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
20938 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
20939 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
20943 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
20944 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
20945 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
20946 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
20948 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
20949 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
20950 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
20951 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
20952 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
20954 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
20955 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
20956 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
20957 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
20958 current score file.
20960 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
20961 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
20962 pretend they are keymaps or not.
20965 @node Group Score Commands
20966 @section Group Score Commands
20967 @cindex group score commands
20969 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
20974 @kindex W e (Group)
20975 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
20976 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
20977 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
20980 @kindex W f (Group)
20981 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20982 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
20983 all the time. This command will flush the cache
20984 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
20988 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
20990 @findex gnus-batch-score
20991 @cindex batch scoring
20993 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
20997 @node Score Variables
20998 @section Score Variables
20999 @cindex score variables
21003 @item gnus-use-scoring
21004 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
21005 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
21006 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
21008 @item gnus-kill-killed
21009 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
21010 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
21011 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
21012 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
21013 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
21014 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
21015 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
21017 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
21018 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
21019 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
21020 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
21021 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
21023 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
21024 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
21025 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
21026 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
21028 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
21029 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
21030 @cindex score cache
21031 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
21032 score files. However, this might make your Emacs grow big and
21033 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
21034 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
21035 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
21036 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
21037 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
21040 @item gnus-save-score
21041 @vindex gnus-save-score
21042 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
21043 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
21044 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21046 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
21047 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
21048 across group visits.
21050 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
21051 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
21052 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
21053 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
21054 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
21055 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
21056 manually entered data.
21058 @item gnus-summary-default-score
21059 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
21060 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
21062 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
21063 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
21064 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
21065 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
21066 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
21067 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
21069 @item gnus-score-over-mark
21070 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
21071 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
21072 default. Default is @samp{+}.
21074 @item gnus-score-below-mark
21075 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
21076 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
21077 default. Default is @samp{-}.
21079 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
21080 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
21081 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
21082 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
21084 Predefined functions available are:
21087 @item gnus-score-find-single
21088 @findex gnus-score-find-single
21089 Only apply the group's own score file.
21091 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
21092 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
21093 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
21094 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
21095 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
21096 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
21097 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
21098 then a regexp match is done.
21100 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
21101 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
21103 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
21104 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
21105 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
21106 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
21108 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
21109 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
21110 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
21111 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
21112 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
21116 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
21117 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
21118 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
21119 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
21120 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
21121 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
21122 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
21125 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
21126 overall score file, you could use the value
21128 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
21129 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
21132 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
21133 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
21134 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
21135 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
21136 are expired. It's 7 by default.
21138 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
21139 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
21140 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
21141 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
21142 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
21143 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
21144 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
21145 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
21147 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
21148 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
21149 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
21151 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
21152 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
21153 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
21154 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
21155 threading---according to the current value of
21156 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
21157 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
21158 simplified in this manner.
21163 @node Score File Format
21164 @section Score File Format
21165 @cindex score file format
21167 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
21168 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
21169 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
21171 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
21175 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
21177 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
21179 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
21181 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
21186 (mark-and-expunge -10)
21190 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
21191 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
21192 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
21193 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
21197 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
21198 Scoring}, for a different approach.
21200 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
21201 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
21202 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
21204 Six keys are supported by this alist:
21209 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
21210 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
21211 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
21212 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
21213 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
21214 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
21215 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
21216 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
21217 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
21218 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
21219 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
21220 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
21221 to articles that matches these score entries.
21223 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
21224 score entry has one to four elements.
21228 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
21229 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
21233 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
21234 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
21235 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
21236 is successful. If this element is not present, the
21237 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
21238 instead. This is 1000 by default.
21241 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
21242 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
21243 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
21244 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
21245 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
21248 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
21249 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
21250 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
21251 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
21254 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
21255 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
21256 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
21257 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
21258 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
21259 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
21260 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
21261 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
21262 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
21263 instead, if you feel like.
21266 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
21267 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
21268 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
21269 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
21270 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
21271 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
21275 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
21276 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
21280 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
21281 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
21283 These predicates are true if
21286 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
21289 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
21290 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
21297 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
21298 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
21299 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
21300 it's not. I think.)
21302 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
21303 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
21304 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
21305 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
21308 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
21309 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
21310 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
21311 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
21312 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
21313 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
21314 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
21318 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
21319 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
21320 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
21321 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
21322 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
21323 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
21324 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
21325 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
21328 @item Head, Body, All
21329 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
21333 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
21334 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
21335 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
21336 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
21337 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
21338 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
21339 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
21343 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
21344 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
21345 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
21346 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
21347 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
21348 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
21349 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
21350 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
21351 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
21352 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
21353 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
21357 @cindex score file atoms
21359 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
21360 lower than this number will be marked as read.
21363 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
21364 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
21366 @item mark-and-expunge
21367 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
21368 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
21371 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
21372 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
21373 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
21374 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
21375 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
21378 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
21379 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
21382 @item exclude-files
21383 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
21384 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
21388 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}ed. This element will be
21389 ignored when handling global score files.
21392 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
21393 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
21394 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
21395 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
21398 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
21399 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
21400 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
21401 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
21403 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
21407 (mark-and-expunge -100)
21410 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
21411 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
21412 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{c y}) the
21413 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
21414 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
21416 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
21417 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
21418 scoring rules exist.
21421 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
21422 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
21423 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
21424 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
21425 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
21426 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
21427 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
21428 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
21429 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
21430 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
21431 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
21435 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
21436 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
21437 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
21438 file for a number of groups.
21441 @cindex local variables
21442 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
21443 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
21444 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
21445 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
21446 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
21451 @node Score File Editing
21452 @section Score File Editing
21454 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
21455 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
21456 with a mode for that.
21458 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
21459 additional commands:
21464 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
21465 @findex gnus-score-edit-exit
21466 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
21467 (@code{gnus-score-edit-exit}).
21470 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
21471 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
21472 Insert the current date in numerical format
21473 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
21474 you were wondering.
21477 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
21478 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
21479 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
21480 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
21481 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
21486 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
21488 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
21489 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
21491 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
21492 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
21495 @node Adaptive Scoring
21496 @section Adaptive Scoring
21497 @cindex adaptive scoring
21499 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
21500 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
21501 stupidity, to be precise.
21503 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
21504 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
21505 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
21506 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
21507 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
21508 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
21509 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
21510 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
21511 variable to @code{(word line)}.
21513 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
21514 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
21515 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
21516 might look something like this:
21519 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
21520 '((gnus-unread-mark)
21521 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
21522 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
21523 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
21524 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
21525 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
21526 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
21527 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
21528 (gnus-ancient-mark)
21529 (gnus-low-score-mark)
21530 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
21533 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
21534 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
21535 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
21536 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
21537 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
21538 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
21541 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
21542 will be applied to each article.
21544 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
21545 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
21546 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
21547 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
21549 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
21550 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
21551 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
21552 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
21554 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
21555 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
21556 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
21557 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
21559 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
21560 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
21561 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
21562 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
21563 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
21564 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
21566 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
21567 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
21568 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
21570 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
21571 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
21572 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
21574 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
21575 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
21576 let you use different rules in different groups.
21578 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
21579 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
21580 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
21583 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
21584 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
21585 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
21586 default) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
21588 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
21589 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
21590 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
21591 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
21592 the length of the match is less than
21593 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
21594 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
21597 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
21598 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
21599 headers. If you adapt on words, the
21600 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
21601 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
21604 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
21605 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
21606 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
21607 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
21608 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
21611 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
21612 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
21613 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
21614 score with 30 points.
21616 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
21617 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
21618 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
21619 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
21620 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
21622 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
21623 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
21624 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
21625 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
21626 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
21628 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
21629 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
21630 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
21631 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
21633 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
21634 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
21635 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
21636 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
21638 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
21639 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
21640 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
21641 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
21642 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
21644 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
21645 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
21646 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
21648 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
21649 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
21650 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
21651 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
21654 @node Home Score File
21655 @section Home Score File
21657 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
21658 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
21659 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
21660 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
21662 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
21663 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
21664 could perhaps use the same home score file.
21666 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
21667 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
21672 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
21676 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
21677 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
21681 A list. The elements in this list can be:
21685 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
21686 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
21689 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
21690 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
21691 name of the group as the parameter.
21694 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
21697 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
21702 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
21705 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21706 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
21709 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
21710 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
21712 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
21714 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21715 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
21718 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
21719 Other functions include
21722 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
21723 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
21724 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
21725 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
21729 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
21730 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
21731 their own home score files:
21734 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21735 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
21736 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
21737 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
21738 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
21741 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
21742 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
21743 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
21744 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
21745 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
21747 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
21748 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
21749 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
21750 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
21751 precedence over this variable.
21754 @node Followups To Yourself
21755 @section Followups To Yourself
21757 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
21758 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
21759 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
21760 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
21761 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
21762 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
21766 @item gnus-score-followup-article
21767 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
21768 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
21771 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
21772 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
21773 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
21777 @vindex message-sent-hook
21778 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
21779 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
21781 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
21785 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
21786 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
21790 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21791 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21794 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
21795 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
21800 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
21804 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
21805 is system-dependent.
21808 @node Scoring On Other Headers
21809 @section Scoring On Other Headers
21810 @cindex scoring on other headers
21812 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
21813 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
21814 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
21815 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
21816 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
21818 @vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
21819 You can inhibit this slow scoring on headers or body by setting the
21820 variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
21821 @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
21822 the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
21823 inhibited for all groups.
21825 Now, there's not much you can do about the slowness for news groups, but for
21826 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
21827 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
21828 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
21829 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
21831 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21834 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
21835 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
21838 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
21839 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
21840 time if you have much mail.
21842 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
21843 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
21849 @section Scoring Tips
21850 @cindex scoring tips
21856 @cindex scoring crossposts
21857 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
21858 the @code{Xref} header.
21860 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
21863 @item Multiple crossposts
21864 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
21865 more than, say, 3 groups:
21868 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
21872 @item Matching on the body
21873 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
21874 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
21875 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
21876 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
21877 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
21878 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
21879 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
21882 @item Marking as read
21883 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
21884 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
21885 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
21889 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
21891 @item Negated character classes
21892 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
21893 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
21894 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
21898 @node Reverse Scoring
21899 @section Reverse Scoring
21900 @cindex reverse scoring
21902 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
21903 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
21904 like this in your score file:
21908 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
21913 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
21914 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
21917 @node Global Score Files
21918 @section Global Score Files
21919 @cindex global score files
21921 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
21922 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
21923 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
21925 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
21926 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
21927 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
21929 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
21930 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
21931 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
21932 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
21933 files are applicable to which group.
21935 To use the score file
21936 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
21937 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
21941 (setq gnus-global-score-files
21942 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
21943 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
21946 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
21948 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
21949 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
21950 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
21951 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
21953 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
21954 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
21956 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
21957 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
21958 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
21959 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
21960 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
21961 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
21963 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
21969 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
21971 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
21973 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
21975 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
21976 lowered out of existence.
21978 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
21979 articles completely.
21982 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
21983 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
21984 old articles for a long time.
21987 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
21988 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
21989 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
21990 holding our breath yet?
21994 @section Kill Files
21997 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
21998 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
21999 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
22001 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
22002 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
22003 files into score files.
22005 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
22006 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
22007 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
22008 that isn't a very good idea.
22010 Normal kill files look like this:
22013 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22014 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
22018 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
22019 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
22021 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
22022 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
22025 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
22030 @kindex M-k (Summary)
22031 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
22032 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
22035 @kindex M-K (Summary)
22036 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
22037 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
22040 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
22045 @kindex M-k (Group)
22046 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
22047 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
22050 @kindex M-K (Group)
22051 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
22052 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
22055 Kill file variables:
22058 @item gnus-kill-file-name
22059 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
22060 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
22061 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
22062 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
22063 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
22064 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
22066 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
22067 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
22068 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
22069 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
22072 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
22073 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
22074 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
22075 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
22076 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
22077 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
22078 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
22079 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
22080 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
22082 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
22083 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
22084 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
22089 @node Converting Kill Files
22090 @section Converting Kill Files
22092 @cindex converting kill files
22094 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
22095 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
22096 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
22099 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Emacs by default.
22100 You can fetch it from the contrib directory of the Gnus distribution or
22102 @uref{http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
22104 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
22105 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
22106 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
22110 @node Advanced Scoring
22111 @section Advanced Scoring
22113 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
22114 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
22115 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
22116 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
22117 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
22119 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
22123 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
22124 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
22125 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
22129 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
22130 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
22132 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
22133 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
22134 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
22135 non-@code{nil} value.
22137 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
22138 operator, and various match operators.
22145 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
22146 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
22147 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
22152 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
22153 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
22154 then this operator will return @code{false}.
22159 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
22160 logical negation of the value of its argument.
22164 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
22165 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
22166 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
22167 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
22168 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
22169 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
22170 the ancestry you want to go.
22172 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
22173 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
22174 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
22175 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
22176 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
22179 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
22180 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
22182 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
22183 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
22186 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
22187 when he's talking about Gnus:
22192 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22193 ("subject" "Gnus"))
22200 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
22204 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22211 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
22212 really don't want to read what he's written:
22216 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22217 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
22221 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
22222 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
22223 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
22230 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
22231 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
22232 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
22233 ("body" "white.*socks"))
22237 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
22238 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
22239 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
22240 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
22243 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
22245 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
22249 The possibilities are endless.
22251 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
22252 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
22254 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
22255 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
22256 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
22257 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
22258 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
22259 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
22260 @samp{subject}) first.
22262 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
22263 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
22274 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
22275 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
22281 ("subject" "Gnus")))
22288 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
22289 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
22294 @section Score Decays
22295 @cindex score decays
22298 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
22299 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
22300 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
22301 use them in any sensible way.
22303 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
22304 @findex gnus-decay-score
22305 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
22306 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
22307 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
22308 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
22309 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
22310 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
22311 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
22312 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
22313 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
22314 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
22318 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
22319 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
22320 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
22322 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
22324 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
22326 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
22327 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
22328 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
22329 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
22330 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
22332 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
22336 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
22337 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
22338 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
22339 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
22343 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
22346 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
22349 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
22353 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
22354 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
22355 the new score, which should be an integer.
22357 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
22358 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
22363 @include message.texi
22364 @chapter Emacs MIME
22365 @include emacs-mime.texi
22367 @include sieve.texi
22379 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
22380 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
22381 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
22382 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
22383 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
22384 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
22385 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
22386 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
22387 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
22388 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
22389 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
22390 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
22391 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
22392 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
22393 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
22394 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
22395 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
22396 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
22397 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
22398 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
22399 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
22400 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
22401 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
22405 @node Process/Prefix
22406 @section Process/Prefix
22407 @cindex process/prefix convention
22409 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
22410 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
22412 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
22413 command to be performed on.
22417 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
22418 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
22419 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
22420 with the current one.
22422 @vindex transient-mark-mode
22423 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
22424 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
22426 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
22427 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
22430 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
22431 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
22433 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
22436 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
22437 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
22438 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
22439 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22441 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
22442 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
22443 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
22444 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
22445 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
22446 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
22447 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
22448 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
22450 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
22451 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
22452 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
22453 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
22454 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
22458 @section Interactive
22459 @cindex interaction
22463 @item gnus-novice-user
22464 @vindex gnus-novice-user
22465 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
22466 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
22467 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
22468 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
22471 @item gnus-expert-user
22472 @vindex gnus-expert-user
22473 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
22474 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing,
22475 no matter how strange. For example, quitting Gnus, exiting a group
22476 without an update, catching up with a group, deleting expired
22477 articles, and replying by mail to a news message will not require
22480 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
22481 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
22482 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
22483 is @code{t} by default.
22485 @item gnus-interactive-exit
22486 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
22487 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22492 @node Symbolic Prefixes
22493 @section Symbolic Prefixes
22494 @cindex symbolic prefixes
22496 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
22497 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
22498 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
22499 rule of 900 to the current article.
22501 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
22502 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
22503 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
22504 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
22505 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
22506 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
22507 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
22509 @kindex M-i (Summary)
22510 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
22511 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
22512 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
22513 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
22514 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
22515 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
22516 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
22517 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
22519 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
22520 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
22521 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
22523 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
22527 @node Formatting Variables
22528 @section Formatting Variables
22529 @cindex formatting variables
22531 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
22532 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
22533 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
22534 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
22535 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
22538 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
22539 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
22540 lots of percentages everywhere.
22543 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
22544 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
22545 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
22546 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
22547 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
22548 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
22549 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
22550 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
22553 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
22554 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
22555 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
22556 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
22557 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
22558 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
22559 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
22560 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
22562 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
22563 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
22565 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
22566 @findex gnus-update-format
22567 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
22568 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
22569 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
22570 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
22574 @node Formatting Basics
22575 @subsection Formatting Basics
22577 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
22578 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
22579 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
22581 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
22582 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
22583 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
22584 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
22585 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
22588 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
22589 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
22590 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
22591 less than 4 characters wide.
22593 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
22594 @samp{%&user-date;}.
22597 @node Mode Line Formatting
22598 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
22600 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
22601 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
22602 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
22603 with the following two differences:
22608 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
22611 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
22612 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
22613 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
22614 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
22615 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
22616 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
22617 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
22622 @node Advanced Formatting
22623 @subsection Advanced Formatting
22625 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
22626 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
22627 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
22628 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
22630 These are the valid modifiers:
22635 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
22639 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
22644 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
22647 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
22652 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
22655 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
22658 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
22661 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
22667 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
22672 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
22673 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
22674 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
22675 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
22676 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
22677 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
22678 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
22680 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
22681 last operation, padding.
22683 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
22684 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
22685 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
22686 @xref{Compilation}.
22689 @node User-Defined Specs
22690 @subsection User-Defined Specs
22692 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
22693 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
22694 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
22695 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
22696 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
22697 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
22698 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
22699 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
22700 should protect against that.
22702 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
22703 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
22705 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
22706 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
22707 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
22708 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
22712 @node Formatting Fonts
22713 @subsection Formatting Fonts
22716 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22717 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
22718 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
22719 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
22720 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
22724 @vindex gnus-face-0
22725 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
22726 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
22727 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
22728 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
22729 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
22730 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
22732 @cindex %<<, %>>, guillemets
22733 @c @cindex %<<, %>>, %«, %», guillemets
22734 @vindex gnus-balloon-face-0
22735 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
22736 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
22737 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
22738 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
22739 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
22740 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
22741 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
22742 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
22743 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
22744 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
22745 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
22748 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
22751 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
22752 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
22753 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
22755 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
22756 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
22757 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
22758 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
22759 ;; @r{Set the color.}
22760 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
22761 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
22763 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
22764 (setq gnus-group-line-format
22765 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
22768 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
22769 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
22771 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
22772 mode-line variables.
22774 @node Positioning Point
22775 @subsection Positioning Point
22777 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
22778 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
22779 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
22781 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
22783 @findex gnus-goto-colon
22784 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
22785 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
22787 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
22788 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
22789 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
22794 @subsection Tabulation
22796 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
22797 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
22798 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
22799 about lining up the following text afterwards.
22801 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
22802 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
22804 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22805 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
22806 This is the soft tabulator.
22808 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22809 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
22810 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
22813 @node Wide Characters
22814 @subsection Wide Characters
22816 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
22817 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
22818 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
22820 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
22821 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
22822 these countries, that's not true.
22824 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
22825 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
22826 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
22827 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
22831 @node Window Layout
22832 @section Window Layout
22833 @cindex window layout
22835 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
22837 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
22838 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
22839 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
22840 @code{t} by default.
22842 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
22843 glitches. Use at your own peril.
22845 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
22846 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
22847 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
22850 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
22851 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
22852 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22856 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
22857 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
22858 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
22859 possible names is listed below.
22861 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
22862 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
22865 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22869 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
22870 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
22871 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
22872 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
22873 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
22874 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
22875 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
22876 size spec per split.
22878 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
22879 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
22880 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
22881 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
22882 present) gets focus.
22884 Here's a more complicated example:
22887 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
22888 (summary 0.25 point)
22889 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
22893 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
22894 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
22895 occupy, not a percentage.
22897 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
22898 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
22899 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
22900 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
22901 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
22904 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
22907 (article (horizontal 1.0
22912 (summary 0.25 point)
22917 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
22918 @code{horizontal} thingie?
22920 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
22921 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
22922 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
22923 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
22924 the screen is to be given to this strip.
22926 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
22927 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
22928 lines from the splits.
22930 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
22935 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
22936 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
22937 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
22938 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
22939 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
22940 size = number | frame-params
22941 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
22945 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
22946 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
22947 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
22948 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
22950 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
22951 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
22952 @cindex window height
22953 @cindex window width
22954 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
22955 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
22956 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
22957 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
22958 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
22959 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
22961 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
22962 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
22963 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
22964 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
22966 @findex gnus-configure-frame
22967 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
22968 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
22969 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
22970 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
22971 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
22972 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
22973 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
22974 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
22975 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
22976 configuration list.
22979 (gnus-configure-frame
22983 (article 0.3 point))
22991 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
22992 @code{frame} split:
22995 (gnus-configure-frame
22998 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
23000 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
23001 (user-position . t)
23002 (left . -1) (top . 1))
23007 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
23008 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
23009 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
23010 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
23011 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
23012 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
23013 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
23014 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
23016 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
23017 be found in its default value.
23019 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
23020 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
23021 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
23025 (message (horizontal 1.0
23026 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
23028 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
23033 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
23034 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
23035 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
23040 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
23041 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
23042 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
23043 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
23044 (name . "Message"))
23045 (message 1.0 point))))
23048 @findex gnus-add-configuration
23049 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
23050 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
23051 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
23052 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
23055 (gnus-add-configuration
23056 '(article (vertical 1.0
23058 (summary .25 point)
23062 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
23063 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
23064 Gnus has been loaded.
23066 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
23067 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
23068 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
23069 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
23070 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
23072 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
23073 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
23074 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
23077 @subsection Example Window Configurations
23081 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
23082 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
23097 (gnus-add-configuration
23100 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
23102 (summary 0.16 point)
23105 (gnus-add-configuration
23108 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
23109 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
23115 @node Faces and Fonts
23116 @section Faces and Fonts
23121 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
23122 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
23123 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
23128 @section Compilation
23129 @cindex compilation
23130 @cindex byte-compilation
23132 @findex gnus-compile
23134 Remember all those line format specification variables?
23135 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
23136 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
23137 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
23138 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
23139 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
23142 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
23143 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
23144 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
23145 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
23146 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
23147 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
23148 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
23152 @section Mode Lines
23155 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
23156 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
23157 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
23158 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
23159 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
23160 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
23161 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
23164 @cindex display-time
23166 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
23167 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
23168 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
23169 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
23170 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
23171 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
23172 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
23173 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
23176 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
23178 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
23179 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
23181 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
23182 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
23183 (length display-time-string)))))
23186 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
23187 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
23188 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
23189 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
23190 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
23193 @node Highlighting and Menus
23194 @section Highlighting and Menus
23196 @cindex highlighting
23199 @vindex gnus-visual
23200 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
23201 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
23202 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
23205 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
23206 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
23209 @item group-highlight
23210 Do highlights in the group buffer.
23211 @item summary-highlight
23212 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
23213 @item article-highlight
23214 Do highlights in the article buffer.
23216 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
23218 Create menus in the group buffer.
23220 Create menus in the summary buffers.
23222 Create menus in the article buffer.
23224 Create menus in the browse buffer.
23226 Create menus in the server buffer.
23228 Create menus in the score buffers.
23230 Create menus in all buffers.
23233 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
23234 buffers, you could say something like:
23237 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
23240 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
23243 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
23246 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
23247 in all Gnus buffers.
23249 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
23252 @item gnus-mouse-face
23253 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
23254 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
23255 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
23259 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
23263 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
23264 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
23265 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
23267 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
23268 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
23269 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
23271 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
23272 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
23273 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
23275 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
23276 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
23277 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
23279 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
23280 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
23281 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
23283 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
23284 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
23285 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
23296 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
23297 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
23298 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
23299 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
23300 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
23304 @vindex gnus-carpal
23305 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
23306 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
23307 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
23312 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
23313 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
23314 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
23316 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
23317 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
23318 Face used on buttons.
23320 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
23321 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
23322 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
23324 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
23325 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
23326 Buttons in the group buffer.
23328 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
23329 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
23330 Buttons in the summary buffer.
23332 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
23333 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
23334 Buttons in the server buffer.
23336 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
23337 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
23338 Buttons in the browse buffer.
23341 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
23342 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
23343 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
23351 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
23352 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
23353 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
23354 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
23355 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
23357 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
23358 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
23359 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
23361 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
23362 been idle for thirty minutes:
23365 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
23368 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
23372 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
23375 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
23376 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
23377 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23379 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
23380 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
23381 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
23382 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23384 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
23385 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
23386 @var{idle} minutes.
23388 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
23389 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
23392 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
23393 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
23394 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
23396 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
23397 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
23398 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
23399 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
23401 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
23402 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23404 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
23406 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
23409 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
23410 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
23411 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
23412 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
23413 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
23414 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
23415 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
23416 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
23417 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
23418 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
23419 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
23421 @findex gnus-demon-init
23422 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
23423 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
23424 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
23425 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
23426 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
23428 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
23429 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
23430 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
23439 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
23440 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
23442 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
23443 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
23444 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
23445 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
23448 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
23449 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
23450 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
23451 messages, which are distributed in the newsgroups
23452 @samp{news.lists.filters}, @samp{alt.nocem.misc}, etc.
23454 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
23455 this will make spam disappear.
23457 There are some variables to customize, of course:
23460 @item gnus-use-nocem
23461 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
23462 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
23465 You can also set this variable to a positive number as a group level.
23466 In that case, Gnus scans NoCeM messages when checking new news if this
23467 value is not exceeding a group level that you specify as the prefix
23468 argument to some commands, e.g. @code{gnus},
23469 @code{gnus-group-get-new-news}, etc. Otherwise, Gnus does not scan
23470 NoCeM messages if you specify a group level that is smaller than this
23471 value to those commands. For example, if you use 1 or 2 on the mail
23472 groups and the levels on the news groups remain the default, 3 is the
23475 @item gnus-nocem-groups
23476 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
23477 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
23480 ("news.lists.filters" "alt.nocem.misc")
23483 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
23484 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
23485 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
23486 people you want to listen to. The default is:
23490 "alba-nocem@@albasani.net"
23491 "bleachbot@@httrack.com"
23492 "news@@arcor-online.net"
23493 "news@@uni-berlin.de"
23495 "pgpmoose@@killfile.org"
23499 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
23500 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
23502 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
23503 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
23504 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
23505 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
23506 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
23507 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
23508 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
23509 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
23510 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
23511 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
23513 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
23514 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
23517 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
23520 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
23521 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
23524 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
23527 The specs are applied left-to-right.
23530 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
23531 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
23532 @findex gnus-nocem-epg-verify
23534 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
23535 says she is. This variable defaults to @code{gnus-nocem-epg-verify} if
23536 EasyPG is available, otherwise defaults to @code{pgg-verify}. The
23537 function should return non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful,
23538 otherwise (including the case the NoCeM message was not signed) should
23539 return @code{nil}. If this is too slow and you don't care for
23540 verification (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to
23543 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
23544 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into
23545 @code{gnus-nocem-epg-verify} or @code{pgg-verify} running with GnuPG if
23546 you are willing to add the @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
23548 @item gnus-nocem-directory
23549 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
23550 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
23551 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
23553 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
23554 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
23555 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
23556 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
23557 might then see old spam.
23559 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
23560 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
23561 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
23562 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
23563 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
23566 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
23567 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
23568 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
23569 group. @code{nil} means no restriction. NoCeM groups can be huge and
23570 very slow to process.
23574 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
23575 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
23576 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
23577 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
23584 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
23585 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
23586 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
23588 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
23589 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
23590 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
23591 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
23592 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
23593 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
23594 @code{undo} function.
23596 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
23597 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
23598 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
23599 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
23600 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
23601 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
23602 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
23603 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
23604 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
23605 never be totally undoable.
23607 @findex gnus-undo-mode
23608 @vindex gnus-use-undo
23610 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
23611 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
23612 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
23613 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
23617 @node Predicate Specifiers
23618 @section Predicate Specifiers
23619 @cindex predicate specifiers
23621 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
23622 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
23623 to type all that much.
23625 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
23630 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
23631 gnus-article-unread-p)
23634 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
23635 functions all take one parameter.
23637 @findex gnus-make-predicate
23638 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
23639 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
23640 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
23645 @section Moderation
23648 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
23649 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
23650 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
23653 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
23657 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
23660 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
23662 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
23667 You split your incoming mail by matching on
23668 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
23669 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
23672 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
23673 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
23676 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
23677 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
23681 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
23684 (setq gnus-moderated-list
23685 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
23689 @node Fetching a Group
23690 @section Fetching a Group
23691 @cindex fetching a group
23693 @findex gnus-fetch-group
23694 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
23695 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
23696 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
23697 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
23698 It takes the group name as a parameter.
23701 @node Image Enhancements
23702 @section Image Enhancements
23704 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
23705 support images, Emacs 22 does.} and up, are able to display pictures and
23706 stuff, so Gnus has taken advantage of that.
23709 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
23710 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
23711 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
23712 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
23713 * Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
23714 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
23722 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
23723 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
23724 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
23728 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
23729 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
23730 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
23738 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
23739 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions have), or that you
23740 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
23741 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
23742 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
23743 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
23744 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends, see below. For XEmacs it's
23745 faster if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The
23746 default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
23747 @code{display} program.
23749 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is included in the
23750 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
23751 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
23752 On Windows, you may use the packages @code{netpbm} and @code{compface}
23753 from @url{http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net}. You need to add the
23754 @code{bin} directory to your @code{PATH} environment variable.
23755 @c In fact only the following DLLs and binaries seem to be required:
23756 @c compface1.dll uncompface.exe libnetpbm10.dll icontopbm.exe
23758 The variable @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} controls which programs
23759 are used to display the @code{X-Face} header. If this variable is a
23760 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
23761 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
23762 If @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches the
23763 @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
23765 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
23773 @vindex gnus-x-face
23774 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
23775 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
23776 default colors are black and white.
23778 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
23779 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
23780 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
23781 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
23782 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
23783 XEmacs. Here are examples:
23786 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
23787 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23788 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
23789 (png . (:ascent 80))))
23791 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
23792 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23793 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
23794 (png . (:relief -2))))
23797 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
23798 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
23799 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
23800 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
23801 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
23802 @samp{libcompface} library.
23805 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
23806 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
23807 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
23808 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
23809 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
23810 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
23812 @findex gnus-random-x-face
23813 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
23814 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
23815 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
23816 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
23817 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
23818 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
23819 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
23820 header data as a string.
23822 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
23823 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
23824 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
23825 randomly generated data.
23827 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
23828 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
23829 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
23830 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
23831 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
23833 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
23834 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23837 (setq message-required-news-headers
23838 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23839 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
23842 Using the last function would be something like this:
23845 (setq message-required-news-headers
23846 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23847 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
23848 (gnus-x-face-from-file
23849 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
23857 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
23859 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
23860 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
23861 represent the author of the message.
23864 @findex gnus-article-display-face
23865 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
23866 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
23869 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
23870 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
23872 Viewing an @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
23875 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
23877 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
23879 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
23880 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
23882 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
23883 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
23884 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
23886 @findex gnus-face-from-file
23887 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
23888 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
23889 converts the file to Face format by using the
23890 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
23892 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
23893 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23896 (setq message-required-news-headers
23897 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23898 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
23899 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
23904 @subsection Smileys
23909 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
23914 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
23915 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
23917 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
23918 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23921 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
23924 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
23925 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
23926 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
23927 text and maps that to file names.
23929 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
23930 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
23931 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
23932 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
23933 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
23936 The following variables customize the appearance of the smileys:
23941 @vindex smiley-style
23942 Specifies the smiley style. Predefined smiley styles include
23943 @code{low-color} (small 13x14 pixel, three-color images), @code{medium}
23944 (more colorful images, 16x16 pixel), and @code{grayscale} (grayscale
23945 images, 14x14 pixel). The default depends on the height of the default
23948 @item smiley-data-directory
23949 @vindex smiley-data-directory
23950 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files. You shouldn't set this
23951 variable anymore. Customize @code{smiley-style} instead.
23953 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
23954 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
23955 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
23969 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
23970 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
23971 over your shoulder as you read news.
23973 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
23982 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
23983 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
23984 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
23985 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
23986 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
23987 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
23988 @code{GIF} formats.
23991 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23992 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
23993 point your Web browser at
23994 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
23996 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
23997 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
23999 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
24000 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
24003 @vindex gnus-picon-style
24004 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
24005 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
24006 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
24008 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
24012 @item gnus-picon-databases
24013 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
24014 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
24015 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
24016 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
24017 "/usr/local/faces")}.
24019 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
24020 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
24021 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
24022 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
24024 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
24025 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
24026 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
24027 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
24029 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
24030 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
24031 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
24032 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
24033 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
24035 @item gnus-picon-file-types
24036 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
24037 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
24038 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
24043 @subsection Gravatars
24047 \include{gravatars}
24051 A gravatar is an image registered to an e-mail address.
24053 You can submit yours on-line at @uref{http://www.gravatar.com}.
24055 The following variables offer control over how things are displayed.
24059 @item gnus-gravatar-size
24060 @vindex gnus-gravatar-size
24061 The size in pixels of gravatars. Gravatars are always square, so one
24062 number for the size is enough.
24064 @item gnus-gravatar-relief
24065 @vindex gnus-gravatar-relief
24066 If non-nil, adds a shadow rectangle around the image. The value,
24067 relief, specifies the width of the shadow lines, in pixels. If relief
24068 is negative, shadows are drawn so that the image appears as a pressed
24069 button; otherwise, it appears as an unpressed button.
24073 If you want to see them in the From field, set:
24075 (setq gnus-treat-from-gravatar 'head)
24078 If you want to see them in the Cc and To fields, set:
24081 (setq gnus-treat-mail-gravatar 'head)
24086 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
24089 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
24090 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
24091 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
24092 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
24093 unusual directory structure.
24095 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
24096 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
24097 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
24102 @subsubsection Toolbar
24106 @item gnus-use-toolbar
24107 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
24108 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
24109 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
24110 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
24111 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
24112 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
24113 names show. The default is @code{default}.
24115 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
24116 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
24117 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
24118 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
24119 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
24120 The default is that of the default toolbar.
24122 @item gnus-group-toolbar
24123 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
24124 The toolbar in the group buffer.
24126 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
24127 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
24128 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
24130 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
24131 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
24132 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
24143 @node Fuzzy Matching
24144 @section Fuzzy Matching
24145 @cindex fuzzy matching
24147 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
24148 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
24150 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
24151 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
24152 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
24154 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
24155 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
24156 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
24157 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
24158 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
24161 @node Thwarting Email Spam
24162 @section Thwarting Email Spam
24166 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
24168 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
24169 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
24170 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
24171 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
24172 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
24173 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
24174 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
24175 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
24178 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
24179 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
24180 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
24181 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
24182 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
24183 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
24185 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
24188 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
24189 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
24190 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
24191 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
24194 @node The problem of spam
24195 @subsection The problem of spam
24197 @cindex spam filtering approaches
24198 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
24200 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
24202 First, some background on spam.
24204 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
24205 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
24206 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
24207 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
24208 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
24209 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
24210 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
24211 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
24212 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
24214 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
24215 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
24216 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
24217 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
24218 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
24219 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
24220 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
24221 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
24222 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
24225 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
24226 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
24227 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
24228 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
24229 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
24230 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
24231 from Bulgarian IPs.
24233 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
24234 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
24235 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
24236 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
24238 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
24239 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
24240 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
24241 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
24243 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
24244 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
24245 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
24246 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
24247 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
24248 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
24249 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
24250 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
24251 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
24253 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
24254 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
24255 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
24256 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
24257 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
24258 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
24259 down for some time because of the incident.
24261 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
24262 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
24263 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
24264 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
24265 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
24266 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
24267 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
24268 to store the database of spam analysis. Statistical analysis on the
24269 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
24270 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
24271 the server that it has misclassified mail.
24273 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
24274 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
24275 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
24276 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
24277 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
24278 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
24279 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
24282 @node Anti-Spam Basics
24283 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
24287 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
24289 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
24290 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
24292 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
24293 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
24294 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
24295 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
24296 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
24297 part of the mail address.)
24300 (setq message-default-news-headers
24301 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
24304 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24305 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
24309 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
24310 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
24311 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
24316 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
24317 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
24318 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
24319 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
24321 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
24322 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
24323 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
24324 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
24325 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
24326 your fancy split rule in this way:
24331 (to "larsi" "misc")
24335 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
24336 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
24337 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
24338 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
24339 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
24341 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
24342 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
24343 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
24344 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
24346 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
24350 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
24351 @cindex SpamAssassin
24352 @cindex Vipul's Razor
24355 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
24356 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
24357 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
24358 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
24359 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
24360 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
24361 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
24363 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
24364 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
24365 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
24368 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
24369 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
24370 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
24371 Specifiers}) follow.
24375 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
24379 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
24382 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
24383 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
24384 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
24387 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
24391 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
24394 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
24395 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
24399 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
24400 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
24401 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
24402 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
24405 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
24407 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
24411 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
24412 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
24416 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
24417 downloaded by default. You need to set
24418 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
24419 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
24421 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
24422 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
24423 spam. And here is the nifty function:
24426 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
24427 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
24429 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d" t)
24430 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
24434 @subsection Hashcash
24437 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
24438 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
24439 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
24440 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
24441 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
24443 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
24444 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
24445 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
24446 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
24447 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
24448 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
24449 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
24450 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
24451 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
24452 one of them separately.
24455 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
24456 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
24457 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
24458 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
24459 need to install to use this feature, see
24460 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
24461 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
24463 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
24464 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
24465 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
24468 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
24471 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
24475 @item hashcash-default-payment
24476 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
24477 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
24478 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
24481 @item hashcash-payment-alist
24482 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
24483 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
24484 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
24485 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
24486 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
24487 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
24488 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
24489 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
24491 @item hashcash-path
24492 @vindex hashcash-path
24493 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
24494 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
24495 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
24496 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
24497 when you generate hashcash payments.
24501 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
24502 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
24503 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
24504 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
24505 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
24506 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
24507 Hashcash Payments}).
24510 @section Spam Package
24511 @cindex spam filtering
24514 The Spam package provides Gnus with a centralized mechanism for
24515 detecting and filtering spam. It filters new mail, and processes
24516 messages according to whether they are spam or ham. (@dfn{Ham} is the
24517 name used throughout this manual to indicate non-spam messages.)
24520 * Spam Package Introduction::
24521 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
24522 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
24523 * Spam and Ham Processors::
24524 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
24526 * Extending the Spam package::
24527 * Spam Statistics Package::
24530 @node Spam Package Introduction
24531 @subsection Spam Package Introduction
24532 @cindex spam filtering
24533 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
24536 You must read this section to understand how the Spam package works.
24537 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
24539 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
24540 events. See @xref{Extending the Spam package}.
24542 @cindex spam-initialize
24543 @vindex spam-use-stat
24544 To use the Spam package, you @strong{must} first run the function
24545 @code{spam-initialize}:
24551 This autoloads @code{spam.el} and installs the various hooks necessary
24552 to let the Spam package do its job. In order to make use of the Spam
24553 package, you have to set up certain group parameters and variables,
24554 which we will describe below. All of the variables controlling the
24555 Spam package can be found in the @samp{spam} customization group.
24557 There are two ``contact points'' between the Spam package and the rest
24558 of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and leaving a group.
24560 Checking new mail for spam is done in one of two ways: while splitting
24561 incoming mail, or when you enter a group.
24563 The first way, checking for spam while splitting incoming mail, is
24564 suited to mail back ends such as @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap}, where
24565 new mail appears in a single spool file. The Spam package processes
24566 incoming mail, and sends mail considered to be spam to a designated
24567 ``spam'' group. @xref{Filtering Incoming Mail}.
24569 The second way is suited to back ends such as @code{nntp}, which have
24570 no incoming mail spool, or back ends where the server is in charge of
24571 splitting incoming mail. In this case, when you enter a Gnus group,
24572 the unseen or unread messages in that group are checked for spam.
24573 Detected spam messages are marked as spam. @xref{Detecting Spam in
24576 @cindex spam back ends
24577 In either case, you have to tell the Spam package what method to use
24578 to detect spam messages. There are several methods, or @dfn{spam back
24579 ends} (not to be confused with Gnus back ends!) to choose from: spam
24580 ``blacklists'' and ``whitelists'', dictionary-based filters, and so
24581 forth. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24583 In the Gnus summary buffer, messages that have been identified as spam
24584 always appear with a @samp{$} symbol.
24586 The Spam package divides Gnus groups into three categories: ham
24587 groups, spam groups, and unclassified groups. You should mark each of
24588 the groups you subscribe to as either a ham group or a spam group,
24589 using the @code{spam-contents} group parameter (@pxref{Group
24590 Parameters}). Spam groups have a special property: when you enter a
24591 spam group, all unseen articles are marked as spam. Thus, mail split
24592 into a spam group is automatically marked as spam.
24594 Identifying spam messages is only half of the Spam package's job. The
24595 second half comes into play whenever you exit a group buffer. At this
24596 point, the Spam package does several things:
24598 First, it calls @dfn{spam and ham processors} to process the articles
24599 according to whether they are spam or ham. There is a pair of spam
24600 and ham processors associated with each spam back end, and what the
24601 processors do depends on the back end. At present, the main role of
24602 spam and ham processors is for dictionary-based spam filters: they add
24603 the contents of the messages in the group to the filter's dictionary,
24604 to improve its ability to detect future spam. The @code{spam-process}
24605 group parameter specifies what spam processors to use. @xref{Spam and
24608 If the spam filter failed to mark a spam message, you can mark it
24609 yourself, so that the message is processed as spam when you exit the
24619 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24620 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24621 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
24622 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}).
24626 Similarly, you can unmark an article if it has been erroneously marked
24627 as spam. @xref{Setting Marks}.
24629 Normally, a ham message found in a non-ham group is not processed as
24630 ham---the rationale is that it should be moved into a ham group for
24631 further processing (see below). However, you can force these articles
24632 to be processed as ham by setting
24633 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
24634 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups}.
24636 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24637 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24638 The second thing that the Spam package does when you exit a group is
24639 to move ham articles out of spam groups, and spam articles out of ham
24640 groups. Ham in a spam group is moved to the group specified by the
24641 variable @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}, or the group parameter
24642 @code{ham-process-destination}. Spam in a ham group is moved to the
24643 group specified by the variable @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations},
24644 or the group parameter @code{spam-process-destination}. If these
24645 variables are not set, the articles are left in their current group.
24646 If an article cannot be moved (e.g., with a read-only backend such
24647 as @acronym{NNTP}), it is copied.
24649 If an article is moved to another group, it is processed again when
24650 you visit the new group. Normally, this is not a problem, but if you
24651 want each article to be processed only once, load the
24652 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and set the variable
24653 @code{spam-log-to-registry} to @code{t}. @xref{Spam Package
24654 Configuration Examples}.
24656 Normally, spam groups ignore @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations}.
24657 However, if you set @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only} to
24658 @code{nil}, spam will also be moved out of spam groups, depending on
24659 the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter.
24661 The final thing the Spam package does is to mark spam articles as
24662 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
24664 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
24665 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
24666 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
24668 @node Filtering Incoming Mail
24669 @subsection Filtering Incoming Mail
24670 @cindex spam filtering
24671 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
24674 To use the Spam package to filter incoming mail, you must first set up
24675 fancy mail splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}. The Spam package
24676 defines a special splitting function that you can add to your fancy
24677 split variable (either @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
24678 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on your mail back end):
24684 @vindex spam-split-group
24686 The @code{spam-split} function scans incoming mail according to your
24687 chosen spam back end(s), and sends messages identified as spam to a
24688 spam group. By default, the spam group is a group named @samp{spam},
24689 but you can change this by customizing @code{spam-split-group}. Make
24690 sure the contents of @code{spam-split-group} are an unqualified group
24691 name. For instance, in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server},
24692 the value @samp{spam} means @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The value
24693 @samp{nnimap+server:spam} is therefore wrong---it gives the group
24694 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam}.
24696 @code{spam-split} does not modify the contents of messages in any way.
24698 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
24699 Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
24700 @code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
24701 you should also set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body}
24702 to @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can
24703 ``scan'' the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only
24704 retrieves the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells
24705 it to retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by
24706 default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
24707 appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Splitting
24710 You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
24711 to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
24712 Ends}. Normally, @code{spam-split} simply uses all the spam back ends
24713 you enabled in this way. However, you can tell @code{spam-split} to
24714 use only some of them. Why this is useful? Suppose you are using the
24715 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and @code{spam-use-blackholes} spam back
24716 ends, and the following split rule:
24719 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24720 (any "ding" "ding")
24722 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24727 The problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the ding
24728 folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam detected by
24729 SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through, when it's
24730 sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to the ding
24731 list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the invocation
24732 of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
24734 The solution is to let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, and
24735 perform the other @code{spam-split} rules (including a second
24736 invocation of the regex-headers check) after the ding rule. This is
24737 done by passing a parameter to @code{spam-split}:
24742 ;; @r{spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
24743 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24744 (any "ding" "ding")
24745 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
24747 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24752 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
24753 your particular needs, and target the results of those checks to a
24754 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
24755 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
24756 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
24757 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
24758 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
24760 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24761 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24762 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24763 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24765 @c @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
24766 @c statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
24769 @node Detecting Spam in Groups
24770 @subsection Detecting Spam in Groups
24772 To detect spam when visiting a group, set the group's
24773 @code{spam-autodetect} and @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group
24774 parameters. These are accessible with @kbd{G c} or @kbd{G p}, as
24775 usual (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24777 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24778 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24779 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24780 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
24782 By default, only unseen articles are processed for spam. You can
24783 force Gnus to recheck all messages in the group by setting the
24784 variable @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages} to @code{t}.
24786 If you use the @code{spam-autodetect} method of checking for spam, you
24787 can specify different spam detection methods for different groups.
24788 For instance, the @samp{ding} group may have @code{spam-use-BBDB} as
24789 the autodetection method, while the @samp{suspect} group may have the
24790 @code{spam-use-blacklist} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods
24791 enabled. Unlike with @code{spam-split}, you don't have any control
24792 over the @emph{sequence} of checks, but this is probably unimportant.
24794 @node Spam and Ham Processors
24795 @subsection Spam and Ham Processors
24796 @cindex spam filtering
24797 @cindex spam filtering variables
24798 @cindex spam variables
24801 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
24802 Spam and ham processors specify special actions to take when you exit
24803 a group buffer. Spam processors act on spam messages, and ham
24804 processors on ham messages. At present, the main role of these
24805 processors is to update the dictionaries of dictionary-based spam back
24806 ends such as Bogofilter (@pxref{Bogofilter}) and the Spam Statistics
24807 package (@pxref{Spam Statistics Filtering}).
24809 The spam and ham processors that apply to each group are determined by
24810 the group's@code{spam-process} group parameter. If this group
24811 parameter is not defined, they are determined by the variable
24812 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups}.
24814 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24815 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
24816 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
24817 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
24818 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
24819 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
24820 by customizing the corresponding variable
24821 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
24822 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
24823 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
24824 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
24825 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
24826 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
24827 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
24830 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
24832 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
24833 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
24834 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
24835 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
24836 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
24837 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
24838 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
24839 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
24840 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
24841 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
24842 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
24843 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
24844 processor which will study them as spam samples.
24846 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
24847 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
24848 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
24849 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
24850 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
24851 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
24852 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
24853 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
24856 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24857 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
24858 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
24859 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
24860 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
24861 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
24862 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
24867 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24868 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
24869 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
24870 you really want to.
24873 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
24874 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
24875 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
24876 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
24877 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
24878 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
24881 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24882 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
24883 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
24884 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
24885 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
24886 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
24887 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
24888 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
24889 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
24890 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
24891 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
24892 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
24893 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
24894 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
24895 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
24897 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24898 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24900 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24901 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
24902 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
24904 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
24905 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
24907 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
24908 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
24909 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
24910 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
24911 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
24913 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
24914 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
24915 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
24916 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
24917 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
24920 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24921 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
24922 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
24923 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
24924 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
24925 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
24926 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
24927 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
24928 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
24929 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
24930 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
24931 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
24932 group buffer then you need it here as well.
24934 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24935 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24937 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24938 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
24941 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
24942 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
24943 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
24944 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
24945 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
24946 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
24947 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
24949 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
24950 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
24951 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
24952 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
24954 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
24955 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
24956 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
24957 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
24958 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
24959 from the mail server.
24961 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
24962 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
24963 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
24964 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
24966 @node Spam Package Configuration Examples
24967 @subsection Spam Package Configuration Examples
24968 @cindex spam filtering
24969 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
24970 @cindex spam configuration examples
24973 @subsubheading Ted's setup
24975 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
24977 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
24978 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
24979 (gnus-registry-initialize)
24983 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
24985 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
24986 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
24987 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24988 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24989 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
24990 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
24991 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
24992 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
24993 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24994 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
24995 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24996 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
24997 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
24998 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
24999 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
25000 (any "ding" "ding")
25001 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
25003 ;; @r{default mailbox}
25006 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
25008 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
25009 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
25010 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
25011 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
25013 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
25015 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
25016 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
25017 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
25018 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
25019 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
25021 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
25022 ((spam-autodetect . t))
25024 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
25026 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
25027 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
25029 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
25030 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
25031 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
25033 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
25035 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
25036 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
25038 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
25039 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
25040 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
25042 (gnus-ticked-mark))
25043 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
25044 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
25045 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
25047 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
25048 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
25049 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
25053 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
25054 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
25056 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
25057 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
25058 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
25059 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
25060 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
25061 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
25062 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
25063 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
25064 @samp{training.spam} folders.
25066 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
25067 does most of the job for me:
25070 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
25071 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
25072 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
25073 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
25074 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
25075 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
25076 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
25081 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
25083 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
25084 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
25085 bogofilter or DCC).
25087 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
25088 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
25089 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark
25090 (@code{ham-marks}, @ref{Spam and Ham Processors}). On group exit,
25091 those messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want
25092 to have the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter)
25093 and deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
25095 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
25096 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
25097 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
25098 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
25099 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
25100 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
25102 @item @b{Ham folders:}
25104 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
25105 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
25106 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
25107 @samp{training.spam}.
25110 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
25112 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
25114 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
25115 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
25116 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
25120 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
25123 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
25124 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
25125 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
25126 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
25127 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
25129 @node Spam Back Ends
25130 @subsection Spam Back Ends
25131 @cindex spam back ends
25133 The spam package offers a variety of back ends for detecting spam.
25134 Each back end defines a set of methods for detecting spam
25135 (@pxref{Filtering Incoming Mail}, @pxref{Detecting Spam in Groups}),
25136 and a pair of spam and ham processors (@pxref{Spam and Ham
25140 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
25141 * BBDB Whitelists::
25142 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
25143 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
25145 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
25147 * SpamAssassin back end::
25148 * ifile spam filtering::
25149 * Spam Statistics Filtering::
25153 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
25154 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
25155 @cindex spam filtering
25156 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
25157 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
25160 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
25162 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
25163 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
25164 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
25165 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
25170 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
25172 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
25173 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
25174 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
25175 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
25176 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25180 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
25182 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
25183 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
25184 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
25188 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
25190 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25191 customizing the group parameters or the
25192 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25193 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
25194 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
25198 Instead of the obsolete
25199 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
25200 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
25201 the same way, we promise.
25205 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
25207 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25208 customizing the group parameters or the
25209 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25210 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
25211 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
25216 Instead of the obsolete
25217 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
25218 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
25219 the same way, we promise.
25223 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
25224 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
25225 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
25226 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
25227 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
25229 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
25230 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
25231 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
25232 Emacs regular expression syntax.
25234 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
25235 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
25236 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
25237 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
25238 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
25239 @file{blacklist} respectively.
25241 @node BBDB Whitelists
25242 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
25243 @cindex spam filtering
25244 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
25245 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
25248 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
25250 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
25251 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
25252 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
25253 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
25254 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
25255 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
25256 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25260 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
25262 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
25263 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
25264 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
25265 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
25266 classified as spammers.
25268 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
25269 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
25270 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
25271 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
25276 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
25278 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25279 customizing the group parameters or the
25280 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25281 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
25282 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
25287 Instead of the obsolete
25288 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
25289 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
25290 the same way, we promise.
25294 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
25295 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
25296 @cindex spam reporting
25297 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
25298 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
25301 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
25303 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25304 customizing the group parameters or the
25305 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25306 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
25307 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
25310 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
25314 Instead of the obsolete
25315 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
25316 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
25317 same way, we promise.
25321 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
25323 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
25324 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
25325 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
25326 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
25327 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
25331 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
25333 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
25334 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
25335 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
25339 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
25340 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
25341 @cindex spam filtering
25342 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
25345 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
25347 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
25348 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
25349 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
25350 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
25351 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
25352 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25357 @subsubsection Blackholes
25358 @cindex spam filtering
25359 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
25362 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
25364 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
25365 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
25366 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
25367 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
25368 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
25369 contains outdated servers.
25371 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
25372 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
25373 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
25374 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
25375 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
25376 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
25380 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
25382 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
25386 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
25388 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
25389 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
25393 @defvar spam-use-dig
25395 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
25396 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
25400 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
25401 ham processor for blackholes.
25403 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
25404 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
25405 @cindex spam filtering
25406 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
25409 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
25411 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
25412 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
25413 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
25414 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
25415 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
25416 message is spam or ham, respectively.
25420 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
25422 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25423 the message, positively identify it as spam.
25427 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
25429 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25430 the message, positively identify it as ham.
25434 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
25435 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
25438 @subsubsection Bogofilter
25439 @cindex spam filtering
25440 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
25443 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
25445 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25448 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
25449 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
25450 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
25451 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
25452 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
25453 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
25455 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
25456 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
25459 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
25460 processing will be turned off.
25462 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
25471 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
25472 Get the Bogofilter spamicity score (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}).
25475 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
25477 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25478 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
25479 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
25480 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
25481 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
25482 installation documents for details.
25484 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
25488 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
25489 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25490 customizing the group parameters or the
25491 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25492 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
25493 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
25497 Instead of the obsolete
25498 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25499 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25500 the same way, we promise.
25503 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
25504 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25505 customizing the group parameters or the
25506 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25507 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25508 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
25509 of non-spam messages.
25513 Instead of the obsolete
25514 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25515 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25516 the same way, we promise.
25519 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
25521 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
25522 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
25523 database directory.
25527 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
25528 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25529 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
25530 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
25531 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
25532 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
25534 @node SpamAssassin back end
25535 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
25536 @cindex spam filtering
25537 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
25540 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
25542 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
25544 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
25545 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
25546 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
25547 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
25550 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
25551 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
25552 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
25553 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
25556 You should not enable this if you use
25557 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
25561 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
25563 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
25564 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
25566 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
25570 @defvar spam-spamassassin-program
25572 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
25573 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
25574 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
25575 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
25579 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
25580 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
25581 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
25582 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
25583 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
25584 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
25585 to test this functionality.
25587 @node ifile spam filtering
25588 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
25589 @cindex spam filtering
25590 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
25593 @defvar spam-use-ifile
25595 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
25596 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
25600 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
25602 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
25603 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
25604 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
25608 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
25610 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
25611 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
25612 the default value of @samp{spam}.
25615 @defvar spam-ifile-database
25617 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
25618 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
25622 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
25623 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25624 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
25625 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
25628 @node Spam Statistics Filtering
25629 @subsubsection Spam Statistics Filtering
25630 @cindex spam filtering
25631 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
25635 This back end uses the Spam Statistics Emacs Lisp package to perform
25636 statistics-based filtering (@pxref{Spam Statistics Package}). Before
25637 using this, you may want to perform some additional steps to
25638 initialize your Spam Statistics dictionary. @xref{Creating a
25639 spam-stat dictionary}.
25641 @defvar spam-use-stat
25645 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
25646 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25647 customizing the group parameters or the
25648 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25649 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
25650 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
25654 Instead of the obsolete
25655 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25656 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25657 the same way, we promise.
25660 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
25661 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25662 customizing the group parameters or the
25663 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25664 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25665 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
25666 of non-spam messages.
25670 Instead of the obsolete
25671 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25672 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25673 the same way, we promise.
25676 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
25677 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
25678 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
25679 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
25680 @code{spam-split} are provided.
25683 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
25684 @cindex spam filtering
25688 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
25689 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
25690 installed separately.
25692 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
25693 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
25694 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
25695 mail as a spam mail or not.
25697 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
25698 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
25699 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
25701 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Spam Package})
25704 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
25705 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
25706 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
25707 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}. @xref{Spam
25708 Package}. In this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is
25709 filtered using SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be
25710 moved to @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham
25711 messages stay in @samp{INBOX}:
25714 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
25715 spam-split-group "Junk"
25716 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
25717 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
25718 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
25721 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
25722 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
25726 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
25727 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
25728 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
25732 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
25733 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
25734 store its analysis. This is controlled by the variable
25735 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
25736 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
25737 database to live somewhere special, set
25738 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
25741 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
25742 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
25743 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns
25744 the characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
25745 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
25746 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary
25747 buffer and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using
25748 @file{spam.el}'s spam- and ham-processors, which is much more
25749 convenient. For a detailed description of spam- and ham-processors,
25750 @xref{Spam Package}.
25752 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
25753 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25754 customizing the group parameter or the
25755 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25756 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
25757 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
25761 Instead of the obsolete
25762 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25763 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25764 the same way, we promise.
25767 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
25768 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25769 customizing the group parameter or the
25770 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25771 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
25772 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
25777 Instead of the obsolete
25778 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25779 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25780 the same way, we promise.
25783 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
25784 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
25787 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
25788 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
25789 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
25791 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
25792 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
25793 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
25794 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
25795 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
25796 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
25798 @node Extending the Spam package
25799 @subsection Extending the Spam package
25800 @cindex spam filtering
25801 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
25802 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
25804 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
25805 incoming mail, provide the following:
25813 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
25814 "True if blackbox should be used.")
25817 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
25819 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
25820 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
25821 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
25822 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
25823 register/unregister spam and ham.
25828 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
25829 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
25830 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
25831 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
25836 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
25843 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
25844 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
25846 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
25847 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
25848 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
25849 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
25852 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
25853 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
25854 Only applicable to spam groups.")
25856 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
25857 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
25858 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
25867 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
25868 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
25870 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
25871 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
25872 variable customization.
25876 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
25878 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
25879 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
25881 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
25882 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
25888 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
25890 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
25891 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
25892 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
25895 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
25897 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
25898 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
25902 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
25904 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
25905 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
25906 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
25910 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
25912 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
25913 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
25914 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
25917 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
25919 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
25920 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
25924 @code{spam-install-backend}
25926 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
25927 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
25928 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
25931 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
25933 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
25934 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
25935 never install such a back end.
25940 @node Spam Statistics Package
25941 @subsection Spam Statistics Package
25942 @cindex Paul Graham
25943 @cindex Graham, Paul
25944 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
25945 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
25946 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
25948 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
25949 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
25950 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
25951 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
25952 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
25953 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
25954 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
25955 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
25956 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
25959 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
25960 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
25961 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
25962 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
25963 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
25964 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
25965 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
25966 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
25968 The Spam Statistics package adds support to Gnus for this kind of
25969 filtering. It can be used as one of the back ends of the Spam package
25970 (@pxref{Spam Package}), or by itself.
25972 Before using the Spam Statistics package, you need to set it up.
25973 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
25974 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
25975 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
25976 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
25979 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
25980 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
25981 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
25984 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25985 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25987 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
25988 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
25989 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
25990 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
25991 need several hundred emails in both collections.
25993 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
25994 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
25995 per mail. Use the following:
25997 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
25998 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
25999 is treated as one spam mail.
26002 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
26003 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
26004 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
26007 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
26008 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds to
26009 the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
26010 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
26011 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds to the group
26012 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
26014 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
26015 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
26016 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
26017 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
26018 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
26021 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
26022 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
26023 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
26024 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
26027 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
26028 reset the dictionary.
26030 @defun spam-stat-reset
26031 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
26034 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
26035 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
26036 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
26037 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
26038 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
26039 only non-spam mails.
26041 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
26042 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
26043 to update the dictionary incrementally.
26046 @defun spam-stat-save
26047 Save the dictionary.
26050 @defvar spam-stat-file
26051 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
26052 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
26055 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
26056 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
26058 This section describes how to use the Spam statistics
26059 @emph{independently} of the @xref{Spam Package}.
26061 First, add the following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
26064 (require 'spam-stat)
26068 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
26071 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
26072 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
26073 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
26074 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
26076 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
26077 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
26078 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
26079 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
26082 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26083 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26087 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
26088 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
26091 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
26092 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
26093 expression are considered potential spam.
26096 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26097 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
26098 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26102 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
26103 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
26104 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
26105 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
26106 mails, when creating the dictionary!
26109 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26110 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26111 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
26115 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
26116 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
26117 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
26118 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
26119 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
26123 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26124 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
26125 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26126 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
26131 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
26132 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
26134 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
26136 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
26137 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
26138 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
26141 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
26142 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
26143 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
26146 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
26147 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
26148 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
26149 already been processed as non-spam.
26152 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
26153 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
26154 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
26155 been processed as spam.
26158 @defun spam-stat-save
26159 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
26160 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
26163 @defun spam-stat-load
26164 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
26165 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
26168 @defun spam-stat-score-word
26169 Return the spam score for a word.
26172 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
26173 Return the spam score for a buffer.
26176 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
26177 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
26178 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
26181 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
26182 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
26185 (require 'spam-stat)
26189 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
26192 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
26193 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26194 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26195 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
26196 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
26197 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
26198 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26199 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26200 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
26201 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
26202 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
26203 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
26204 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26205 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26208 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
26211 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
26212 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26213 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26214 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
26215 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
26216 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
26219 @node The Gnus Registry
26220 @section The Gnus Registry
26225 The Gnus registry is a package that tracks messages by their
26226 Message-ID across all backends. This allows Gnus users to do several
26227 cool things, be the envy of the locals, get free haircuts, and be
26228 experts on world issues. Well, maybe not all of those, but the
26229 features are pretty cool.
26231 Although they will be explained in detail shortly, here's a quick list
26232 of said features in case your attention span is... never mind.
26236 Split messages to their parent
26238 This keeps discussions in the same group. You can use the subject and
26239 the sender in addition to the Message-ID. Several strategies are
26243 Store custom flags and keywords
26245 The registry can store custom flags and keywords for a message. For
26246 instance, you can mark a message ``To-Do'' this way and the flag will
26247 persist whether the message is in the nnimap, nnml, nnmaildir,
26251 Store arbitrary data
26253 Through a simple ELisp API, the registry can remember any data for a
26254 message. A built-in inverse map, when activated, allows quick lookups
26255 of all messages matching a particular set of criteria.
26260 * Fancy splitting to parent::
26261 * Store custom flags and keywords::
26262 * Store arbitrary data::
26268 Fortunately, setting up the Gnus registry is pretty easy:
26271 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500
26272 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t)
26274 (gnus-registry-initialize)
26277 This adds registry saves to Gnus newsrc saves (which happen on exit
26278 and when you press @kbd{s} from the @code{*Group*} buffer. It also
26279 adds registry calls to article actions in Gnus (copy, move, etc.) so
26280 it's not easy to undo the initialization. See
26281 @code{gnus-registry-initialize} for the gory details.
26283 Here are other settings used by the author of the registry (understand
26284 what they do before you copy them blindly).
26288 gnus-registry-split-strategy 'majority
26289 gnus-registry-ignored-groups '(("nntp" t)
26293 gnus-registry-max-entries 500000
26294 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t
26295 gnus-registry-track-extra '(sender subject))
26298 They say: keep a lot of messages around, use long group names, track
26299 messages by sender and subject (not just parent Message-ID), and when
26300 the registry splits incoming mail, use a majority rule to decide where
26301 messages should go if there's more than one possibility. In addition,
26302 the registry should ignore messages in groups that match ``nntp'',
26303 ``nnrss'', ``spam'', or ``train.''
26305 You are doubtless impressed by all this, but you ask: ``I am a Gnus
26306 user, I customize to live. Give me more.'' Here you go, these are
26307 the general settings.
26309 @defvar gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups
26310 The groups that will not be followed by
26311 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}. They will still be
26312 remembered by the registry. This is a list of regular expressions.
26315 @defvar gnus-registry-ignored-groups
26316 The groups that will not be remembered by the registry. This is a
26317 list of regular expressions, also available through Group/Topic
26318 customization (so you can ignore or keep a specific group or a whole
26322 @defvar gnus-registry-use-long-group-names
26323 Whether the registry will use long group names. It's recommended to
26324 set this to @code{t}, although everything works if you don't. Future
26325 functionality will require it.
26328 @defvar gnus-registry-max-entries
26329 The number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries the
26330 registry will keep.
26333 @defvar gnus-registry-cache-file
26334 The file where the registry will be stored between Gnus sessions.
26337 @node Fancy splitting to parent
26338 @subsection Fancy splitting to parent
26340 Simply put, this lets you put followup e-mail where it belongs.
26342 Every message has a Message-ID, which is unique, and the registry
26343 remembers it. When the message is moved or copied, the registry will
26344 notice this and offer the new group as a choice to the splitting
26347 When a followup is made, usually it mentions the original message's
26348 Message-ID in the headers. The registry knows this and uses that
26349 mention to find the group where the original message lives. You only
26350 have to put a rule like this:
26353 (setq nnimap-my-split-fancy '(|
26355 ;; split to parent: you need this
26356 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
26358 ;; other rules, as an example
26364 in your fancy split setup. In addition, you may want to customize the
26365 following variables.
26367 @defvar gnus-registry-track-extra
26368 This is a list of symbols, so it's best to change it from the
26369 Customize interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to
26370 track @code{subject} and @code{sender} as well when splitting by parent.
26371 It may work for you. It can be annoying if your mail flow is large and
26372 people don't stick to the same groups.
26375 @defvar gnus-registry-split-strategy
26376 This is a symbol, so it's best to change it from the Customize
26377 interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to set it to
26378 @code{majority} or @code{first} to split by sender or subject based on
26379 the majority of matches or on the first found.
26382 @node Store custom flags and keywords
26383 @subsection Store custom flags and keywords
26385 The registry lets you set custom flags and keywords per message. You
26386 can use the Gnus->Registry Marks menu or the @kbd{M M x} keyboard
26387 shortcuts, where @code{x} is the first letter of the mark's name.
26389 @defvar gnus-registry-marks
26390 The custom marks that the registry can use. You can modify the
26391 default list, if you like. If you do, you'll have to exit Emacs
26392 before they take effect (you can also unload the registry and reload
26393 it or evaluate the specific macros you'll need, but you probably don't
26394 want to bother). Use the Customize interface to modify the list.
26396 By default this list has the @code{Important}, @code{Work},
26397 @code{Personal}, @code{To-Do}, and @code{Later} marks. They all have
26398 keyboard shortcuts like @kbd{M M i} for Important, using the first
26402 @defun gnus-registry-mark-article
26403 Call this function to mark an article with a custom registry mark. It
26404 will offer the available marks for completion.
26407 @node Store arbitrary data
26408 @subsection Store arbitrary data
26410 The registry has a simple API that uses a Message-ID as the key to
26411 store arbitrary data (as long as it can be converted to a list for
26414 @defun gnus-registry-store-extra-entry (id key value)
26415 Store @code{value} in the extra data key @code{key} for message
26419 @defun gnus-registry-delete-extra-entry (id key)
26420 Delete the extra data key @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26423 @defun gnus-registry-fetch-extra (id key)
26424 Get the extra data key @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26427 @defvar gnus-registry-extra-entries-precious
26428 If any extra entries are precious, their presence will make the
26429 registry keep the whole entry forever, even if there are no groups for
26430 the Message-ID and if the size limit of the registry is reached. By
26431 default this is just @code{(marks)} so the custom registry marks are
26436 @section Interaction with other modes
26441 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provides some useful functions for dired
26442 buffers. It is enabled with
26444 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
26449 @findex gnus-dired-attach
26450 @cindex attachments, selection via dired
26451 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
26452 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
26455 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
26456 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
26457 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
26461 @findex gnus-dired-print
26462 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
26463 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
26466 @node Various Various
26467 @section Various Various
26473 @item gnus-home-directory
26474 @vindex gnus-home-directory
26475 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
26476 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
26478 @item gnus-directory
26479 @vindex gnus-directory
26480 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
26481 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
26482 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
26484 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
26485 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
26486 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
26487 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
26489 @item gnus-default-directory
26490 @vindex gnus-default-directory
26491 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
26492 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
26493 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
26494 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
26495 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
26496 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
26499 @vindex gnus-verbose
26500 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
26501 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
26502 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
26503 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
26504 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
26506 @item gnus-verbose-backends
26507 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
26508 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
26509 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
26511 @item gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26512 @vindex gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26513 This variable controls whether to add timestamps to messages that are
26514 controlled by @code{gnus-verbose} and @code{gnus-verbose-backends} and
26515 are issued. The default value is @code{nil} which means never to add
26516 timestamp. If it is @code{log}, add timestamps to only the messages
26517 that go into the @samp{*Messages*} buffer (in XEmacs, it is the
26518 @w{@samp{ *Message-Log*}} buffer). If it is neither @code{nil} nor
26519 @code{log}, add timestamps not only to log messages but also to the ones
26520 displayed in the echo area.
26522 @item nnheader-max-head-length
26523 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
26524 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
26525 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
26526 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
26527 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
26528 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
26529 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
26530 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
26531 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
26533 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
26534 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
26535 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
26536 read when doing the operation described above.
26538 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26539 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26541 @cindex invalid characters in file names
26542 @cindex characters in file names
26543 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
26544 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
26545 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
26549 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26554 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
26555 Windows (phooey) systems.
26557 @item gnus-hidden-properties
26558 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
26559 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
26560 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
26561 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
26563 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
26564 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
26565 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
26566 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
26567 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
26569 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
26570 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
26571 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
26573 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26574 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26576 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
26577 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
26578 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
26579 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
26582 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
26584 @item gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26585 @vindex gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26586 Groups in which links in html articles are considered all safe. The
26587 value may be a regexp matching those groups, a list of group names, or
26588 @code{nil}. This overrides @code{mm-w3m-safe-url-regexp}. The default
26589 value is @code{"\\`nnrss[+:]"}. This is effective only when emacs-w3m
26590 renders html articles, i.e., in the case @code{mm-text-html-renderer} is
26591 set to @code{w3m}. @xref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization,
26592 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}.
26599 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
26600 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
26602 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
26604 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
26610 Not because of victories @*
26613 but for the common sunshine,@*
26615 the largess of the spring.
26619 but for the day's work done@*
26620 as well as I was able;@*
26621 not for a seat upon the dais@*
26622 but at the common table.@*
26627 @chapter Appendices
26630 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
26631 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
26632 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
26633 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
26634 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
26635 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
26636 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
26637 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
26638 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
26645 @cindex installing under XEmacs
26647 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
26648 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
26649 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
26650 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
26651 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
26652 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
26659 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
26660 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
26662 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
26663 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
26664 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
26665 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
26666 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
26668 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
26669 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
26670 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
26671 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
26672 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
26673 appropriate name, don't you think?)
26675 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
26676 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
26677 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
26678 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
26681 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
26682 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
26683 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
26684 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
26685 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
26686 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
26687 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
26688 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
26689 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
26693 @node Gnus Versions
26694 @subsection Gnus Versions
26696 @cindex September Gnus
26698 @cindex Quassia Gnus
26699 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
26702 @cindex Gnus versions
26704 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
26705 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
26706 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
26708 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
26709 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
26711 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
26712 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
26714 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
26715 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
26717 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
26718 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
26721 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
26722 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
26724 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
26726 On April 19, 2010 Gnus development was moved to Git. See
26727 http://git.gnus.org for details (http://www.gnus.org will be updated
26728 with the information when possible).
26730 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
26731 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
26732 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'' -- don't panic.
26733 Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever
26734 you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach.
26735 Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
26738 @node Other Gnus Versions
26739 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
26742 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
26743 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
26744 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
26745 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
26747 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
26748 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
26749 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
26750 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
26757 What's the point of Gnus?
26759 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
26760 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
26761 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
26762 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
26763 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
26764 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
26765 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
26766 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
26767 keep track of millions of people who post?
26769 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
26770 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
26771 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
26772 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
26773 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
26774 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
26775 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
26776 every one of you to explore and invent.
26778 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
26779 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
26782 @node Compatibility
26783 @subsection Compatibility
26785 @cindex compatibility
26786 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
26787 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
26788 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
26793 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
26797 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
26800 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
26803 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
26804 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
26805 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
26806 important variables have their values copied into their global
26807 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
26808 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
26810 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
26811 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
26812 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
26813 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
26814 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
26818 @cindex highlighting
26819 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
26820 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
26821 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
26822 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
26823 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
26824 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
26827 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
26828 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
26829 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
26830 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
26832 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
26833 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
26834 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
26835 to stop doing it the old way.
26837 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
26839 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26841 @cindex reporting bugs
26843 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
26844 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
26845 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
26847 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
26848 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
26849 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
26850 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
26855 @subsection Conformity
26857 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
26858 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
26866 There are no known breaches of this standard.
26870 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
26872 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
26873 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
26874 We do have some breaches to this one.
26880 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
26881 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
26882 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
26883 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
26884 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
26889 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
26890 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
26891 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
26892 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
26894 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
26895 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
26896 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
26898 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
26899 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
26901 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
26904 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
26905 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
26906 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
26907 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
26908 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
26911 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
26912 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
26913 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
26914 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
26916 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
26917 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
26919 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
26920 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
26921 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
26922 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
26923 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
26924 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
26925 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
26926 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
26930 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
26931 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
26936 @subsection Emacsen
26942 This version of Gnus should work on:
26950 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
26954 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
26955 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
26956 Emacs versions. Particularly, Gnus 5.10.8 should also work on Emacs
26957 20.7 and XEmacs 21.1.
26959 @c No-merge comment: The paragraph added in v5-10 here must not be
26962 @node Gnus Development
26963 @subsection Gnus Development
26965 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
26966 discussion on the development mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}, where people
26967 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
26968 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
26969 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
26970 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
26971 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
26972 have names like ``Oort Gnus'' and ``No Gnus''. @xref{Gnus Versions}.
26974 After futzing around for 10-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
26975 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
26976 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.10.1'' instead. Normal people are
26977 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
26978 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup. This newgroup is mirrored to the
26979 mailing list @samp{info-gnus-english@@gnu.org} which is carried on Gmane
26980 as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.user}. These releases are finally integrated
26984 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26985 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26986 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26987 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26988 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26990 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
26991 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
26992 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
26993 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
26994 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
26995 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
26996 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
26997 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
26998 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
26999 can't be assumed to do so.
27001 So if you have problems with or questions about the alpha versions,
27002 direct those to the ding mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}. This list
27003 is also available on Gmane as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.general}.
27006 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
27007 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
27008 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
27009 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
27010 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
27013 @subsection Contributors
27014 @cindex contributors
27016 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
27017 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
27018 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
27019 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
27020 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
27021 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
27022 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
27023 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
27024 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
27025 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
27027 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
27033 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
27036 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
27037 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
27038 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
27039 functionality and stuff.
27042 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
27043 well as numerous other things).
27046 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
27049 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
27052 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
27055 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
27058 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
27059 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
27062 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
27065 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
27068 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
27071 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
27074 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
27077 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
27080 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
27081 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
27084 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
27087 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
27090 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
27093 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
27097 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
27100 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
27103 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
27106 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
27107 well as autoconf support.
27111 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
27112 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
27114 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
27129 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
27131 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
27135 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
27145 Alexei V. Barantsev,
27160 Massimo Campostrini,
27165 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
27166 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
27170 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
27173 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
27179 Michael Welsh Duggan,
27184 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
27188 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
27196 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
27198 Michelangelo Grigni,
27202 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
27204 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
27206 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
27214 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
27215 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
27216 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
27218 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
27228 Peter Skov Knudsen,
27229 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
27231 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
27232 Thor Kristoffersen,
27235 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
27253 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
27254 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
27261 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
27266 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
27270 John McClary Prevost,
27276 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
27281 Christian von Roques,
27284 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
27291 Philippe Schnoebelen,
27293 Randal L. Schwartz,
27307 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
27312 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
27332 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
27333 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
27334 (550kB and counting).
27336 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
27339 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
27340 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
27344 @subsection New Features
27345 @cindex new features
27348 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
27349 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
27350 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
27351 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
27352 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
27353 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
27354 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
27357 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
27358 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
27359 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
27362 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
27364 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
27369 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
27370 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
27373 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
27374 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
27377 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
27380 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
27381 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
27382 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
27385 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
27386 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
27387 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
27388 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27391 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
27392 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27395 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
27396 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
27397 (@pxref{The Active File}).
27400 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
27401 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
27404 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
27405 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
27406 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27409 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
27410 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
27411 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
27414 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
27415 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
27418 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
27419 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
27422 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
27423 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27426 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
27427 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
27430 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
27431 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27434 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
27437 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
27438 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
27441 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
27442 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
27445 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
27446 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
27449 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
27452 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
27453 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27456 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
27460 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
27464 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
27465 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
27468 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
27474 @node September Gnus
27475 @subsubsection September Gnus
27479 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
27483 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
27488 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
27489 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
27493 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
27494 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
27498 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
27502 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
27503 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
27506 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
27510 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
27513 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
27516 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
27519 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
27523 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
27524 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
27527 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
27531 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
27535 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
27539 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
27543 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
27546 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
27547 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
27550 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
27554 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
27555 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
27558 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
27561 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
27562 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
27563 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27566 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets.
27569 The Gnus cache is much faster.
27572 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
27576 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
27577 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
27580 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
27581 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
27584 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
27585 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
27588 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
27589 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
27590 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
27593 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
27594 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
27597 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
27600 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27603 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
27606 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
27609 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
27610 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
27613 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
27617 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
27620 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
27625 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
27628 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
27632 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27635 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
27639 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
27642 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
27645 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
27646 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27649 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
27650 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
27654 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
27655 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
27658 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
27662 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
27663 buffer to allow easier treatment.
27666 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
27669 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
27673 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
27677 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
27678 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
27681 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
27685 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
27686 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27689 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
27690 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27693 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
27697 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27700 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
27703 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
27709 @subsubsection Red Gnus
27711 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
27715 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
27722 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
27725 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
27726 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27729 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
27730 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
27734 Article washing status can be displayed in the
27735 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
27738 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
27741 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
27742 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
27745 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
27749 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
27750 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
27754 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
27755 Server Internals}).
27758 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
27762 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
27765 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
27766 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
27769 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
27770 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
27771 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
27774 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
27775 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27778 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
27779 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
27782 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
27786 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
27787 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27790 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
27791 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27794 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
27798 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
27801 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
27805 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
27806 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27809 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
27810 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27813 A new command for reading collections of documents
27814 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
27815 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
27818 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
27822 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
27823 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
27826 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
27827 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
27828 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
27831 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
27832 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
27836 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
27840 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
27844 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
27849 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
27853 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
27857 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
27858 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
27861 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
27867 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
27869 New features in Gnus 5.6:
27874 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
27875 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
27876 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
27879 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
27880 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
27881 group, which is created automatically.
27884 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
27888 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
27891 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
27892 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
27895 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
27899 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
27902 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
27903 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
27906 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
27909 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
27913 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
27914 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
27917 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
27918 control over simplification.
27921 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
27924 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
27928 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
27931 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
27934 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
27935 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
27936 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
27939 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
27940 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
27943 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
27947 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
27948 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
27951 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
27952 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
27955 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
27959 A history of where mails have been split is available.
27962 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
27965 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
27966 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
27969 A new function for citing in Message has been
27970 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
27973 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
27976 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
27980 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
27981 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
27984 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
27985 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
27988 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
27991 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
27995 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
27996 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
27998 New features in Gnus 5.8:
28003 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
28004 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
28006 If you used procmail like in
28009 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
28010 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
28011 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
28012 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
28015 this now has changed to
28019 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
28023 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
28026 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
28027 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
28030 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
28031 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
28034 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
28035 called to position point.
28038 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
28039 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
28042 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
28043 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
28046 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
28047 subtly different manner.
28050 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
28051 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
28052 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
28055 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
28060 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
28063 New features in Gnus 5.10:
28067 @item Installation changes
28068 @c ***********************
28072 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
28074 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
28075 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
28076 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
28077 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
28078 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
28079 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
28080 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
28081 isn't save in general.
28084 Lisp files are now installed in @file{.../site-lisp/gnus/} by default.
28085 It defaulted to @file{.../site-lisp/} formerly. In addition to this,
28086 the new installer issues a warning if other Gnus installations which
28087 will shadow the latest one are detected. You can then remove those
28088 shadows manually or remove them using @code{make
28089 remove-installed-shadows}.
28092 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
28094 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
28095 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
28096 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, if you want
28097 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
28098 the second parameter.
28100 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
28101 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
28102 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
28103 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
28104 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
28105 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
28106 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
28107 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
28108 cycle used under Unix systems.
28110 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} and @file{xemacs.mak}
28111 superfluous, so they have been removed.
28114 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
28116 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
28117 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
28120 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
28121 @c the repository. We should find a better place for this item.
28123 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
28125 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
28126 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
28127 lisp directory into load-path.
28129 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
28130 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
28134 @item New packages and libraries within Gnus
28135 @c *****************************************
28140 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
28141 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
28144 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
28146 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
28147 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
28148 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
28149 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
28152 Improved anti-spam features.
28154 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
28155 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
28156 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
28157 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
28158 are also new. @ref{Thwarting Email Spam} and @ref{Spam Package}.
28159 @c FIXME: @xref{Spam Package}?. Should this be under Misc?
28162 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
28164 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
28165 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
28166 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
28167 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
28168 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
28172 @item Changes in group mode
28173 @c ************************
28178 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
28182 Retrieval of charters and control messages
28184 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
28185 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
28188 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
28190 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
28191 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
28192 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
28193 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
28194 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
28197 (setq gnus-parameters
28199 (gnus-show-threads nil)
28200 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
28201 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
28202 (to-group . "\\1"))))
28206 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
28208 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
28209 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
28210 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
28211 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
28212 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
28213 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
28214 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
28215 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
28216 when getting new mail, remove the function.
28219 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
28221 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
28222 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
28223 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
28226 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
28227 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
28229 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
28230 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
28231 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
28233 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
28237 Old intermediate incoming mail files (@file{Incoming*}) are deleted
28238 after a couple of days, not immediately. @xref{Mail Source
28239 Customization}. (New in Gnus 5.10.10 / Emacs 22.2)
28243 @item Changes in summary and article mode
28244 @c **************************************
28249 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
28250 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
28251 region if the region is active.
28254 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
28255 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
28260 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
28261 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
28262 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
28263 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
28266 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
28271 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
28272 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
28274 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
28275 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
28279 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
28280 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
28283 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
28286 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
28287 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
28290 Warn about email replies to news
28292 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
28293 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
28297 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
28298 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
28302 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
28303 opposed to old but unread messages).
28306 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
28307 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
28310 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
28311 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
28314 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
28315 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
28318 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
28320 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
28321 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
28322 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
28323 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
28326 The new command @kbd{W Y f}
28327 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}) allows deuglifying broken
28328 Outlook (Express) articles.
28331 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
28333 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
28334 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
28335 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
28336 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
28338 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
28339 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
28340 message cited below.
28343 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now displayed graphically in
28346 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
28350 Face headers handling. @xref{Face}.
28353 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
28354 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
28357 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
28360 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
28362 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
28363 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
28364 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
28365 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
28366 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
28370 Deleting of attachments.
28372 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
28373 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
28374 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
28375 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
28376 that support editing.
28379 @code{gnus-default-charset}
28381 The default value is determined from the
28382 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
28383 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
28384 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
28387 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
28389 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
28390 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
28391 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
28394 Extended format specs.
28396 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
28397 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
28398 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
28399 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
28400 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
28401 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
28404 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
28405 @c FIXME: Was this a user-visible change?
28407 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
28408 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
28409 out other articles.
28412 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
28414 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
28415 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
28416 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
28417 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
28420 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
28424 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
28425 @c ****************************************************
28432 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
28433 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
28434 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
28437 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
28438 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
28441 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
28442 Gcc articles as read.
28445 Externalizing of attachments
28447 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
28448 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
28449 local files as external parts.
28452 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
28453 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
28456 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
28458 Earlier it was generated when the user configurable email address was
28459 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
28460 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
28461 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
28462 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
28463 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
28464 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
28465 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
28466 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
28469 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
28471 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
28472 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
28473 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
28474 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
28475 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
28476 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
28479 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
28480 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
28484 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers. @xref{X-Face}.
28487 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
28489 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
28490 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
28491 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
28492 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
28493 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
28494 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
28495 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
28496 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
28497 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
28498 was inserted directly.
28501 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
28503 @c FIXME should that not be 'message-user-agent?
28504 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
28505 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
28506 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
28507 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
28510 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
28512 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
28514 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
28515 'bbdb-complete-name)
28519 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
28521 Add a new format of match like
28523 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
28524 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28526 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
28528 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
28529 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28533 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
28535 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
28536 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
28537 need add those two headers too.
28540 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
28541 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
28542 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
28546 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
28547 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
28548 inline PGP signed messages. @xref{Flowed text, , Flowed text,
28549 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
28550 @c This entry is also present in the node "No Gnus".
28553 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
28555 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
28558 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
28560 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
28564 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
28566 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
28567 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
28568 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
28569 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
28570 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
28571 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
28572 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
28573 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
28576 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
28577 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
28579 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
28580 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
28581 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
28582 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
28585 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
28588 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
28589 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
28592 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to the symbol
28595 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
28596 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
28597 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
28598 invalidate the digital signature.
28601 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
28602 decompressed when activated.
28603 @c FIXME: Does this affect article or message mode?
28606 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
28608 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
28609 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
28610 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
28611 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
28612 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
28615 @item You can now drag and drop attachments to the Message buffer.
28616 See @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} and @code{mml-dnd-attach-options}.
28617 @xref{MIME, ,MIME, message, Message Manual}.
28618 @c New in 5.10.9 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.1)
28620 @item @code{auto-fill-mode} is enabled by default in Message mode.
28621 See @code{message-fill-column}. @xref{Various Message Variables, ,
28622 Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
28623 @c New in Gnus 5.10.12 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.3)
28627 @item Changes in back ends
28628 @c ***********************
28632 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
28635 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
28638 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
28640 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
28643 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
28645 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
28646 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
28647 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
28648 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
28649 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
28650 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
28651 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
28652 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
28653 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
28654 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
28655 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
28665 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
28666 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
28669 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
28670 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
28671 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
28672 message, Message Manual}).
28675 The tool bars have been updated to use GNOME icons in Group, Summary and
28676 Message mode. You can also customize the tool bars: @kbd{M-x
28677 customize-apropos RET -tool-bar$} should get you started. This is a new
28678 feature in Gnus 5.10.10. (Only for Emacs, not in XEmacs.)
28680 @item The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly
28681 in the group buffer, see the variable @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}.
28682 Its default value depends on your Emacs version. This is a new feature
28687 @item Miscellaneous changes
28688 @c ************************
28695 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
28696 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
28697 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
28698 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
28699 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
28700 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
28701 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
28702 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
28703 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
28704 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
28705 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
28706 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
28707 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
28708 is not needed any more.
28711 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
28713 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
28714 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
28715 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
28720 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
28721 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
28722 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
28726 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
28729 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
28731 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
28738 @subsubsection No Gnus
28741 New features in No Gnus:
28742 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
28744 @include gnus-news.texi
28750 @section The Manual
28754 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
28755 either @code{texi2dvi}
28757 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
28758 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
28760 to get what you hold in your hands now.
28762 The following conventions have been used:
28767 This is a @samp{string}
28770 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
28773 This is a @file{file}
28776 This is a @code{symbol}
28780 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
28784 (setq flargnoze "yes")
28787 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
28790 (setq flumphel 'yes)
28793 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
28794 ever get them confused.
28798 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
28799 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
28800 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
28801 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
28802 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
28803 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
28804 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
28810 @node On Writing Manuals
28811 @section On Writing Manuals
28813 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
28814 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
28815 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
28816 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
28817 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
28818 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code go hand
28821 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
28822 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
28823 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
28826 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
28827 reference manual as source material. It would look quite different.
28832 @section Terminology
28834 @cindex terminology
28839 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
28840 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
28841 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
28842 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
28843 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
28847 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
28848 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
28849 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
28850 not posting, and replying is not following up.
28854 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
28858 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
28863 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
28864 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
28865 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
28866 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
28867 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
28868 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
28869 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
28870 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
28871 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
28874 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
28875 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
28876 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
28877 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
28878 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
28879 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
28881 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
28882 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
28883 access the articles.
28885 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
28886 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
28887 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
28892 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
28893 default, way of getting news.
28897 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
28898 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
28903 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
28904 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
28908 A message that has been posted as news.
28911 @cindex mail message
28912 A message that has been mailed.
28916 A mail message or news article
28920 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
28925 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
28930 A line from the head of an article.
28934 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
28935 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
28937 @item @acronym{NOV}
28938 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
28939 @acronym{NOV} stands for News OverView, which is a type of news server
28940 header which provide datas containing the condensed header information
28941 of articles. They are produced by the server itself; in the @code{nntp}
28942 back end Gnus uses the ones that the @acronym{NNTP} server makes, but
28943 Gnus makes them by itself for some backends (in particular, @code{nnml}).
28945 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
28946 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
28947 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
28948 normal @sc{head} format.
28950 The @acronym{NOV} data consist of one or more text lines (@pxref{Text
28951 Lines, ,Motion by Text Lines, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual})
28952 where each line has the header information of one article. The header
28953 information is a tab-separated series of the header's contents including
28954 an article number, a subject, an author, a date, a message-id,
28957 Those data enable Gnus to generate summary lines quickly. However, if
28958 the server does not support @acronym{NOV} or you disable it purposely or
28959 for some reason, Gnus will try to generate the header information by
28960 parsing each article's headers one by one. It will take time.
28961 Therefore, it is not usually a good idea to set nn*-nov-is-evil
28962 (@pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}) to a non-@code{nil} value unless you
28963 know that the server makes wrong @acronym{NOV} data.
28967 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
28968 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
28969 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
28970 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
28971 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
28972 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
28974 @item killed groups
28975 @cindex killed groups
28976 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
28977 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
28979 @item zombie groups
28980 @cindex zombie groups
28981 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
28984 @cindex active file
28985 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
28986 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
28987 is rather large, as you might surmise.
28990 @cindex bogus groups
28991 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
28992 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
28993 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
28996 @cindex activating groups
28997 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
28998 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
28999 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
29003 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
29004 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
29005 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
29009 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
29011 @item select method
29012 @cindex select method
29013 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
29016 @item virtual server
29017 @cindex virtual server
29018 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
29019 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
29020 whole is a virtual server.
29024 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
29025 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
29028 @item ephemeral groups
29029 @cindex ephemeral groups
29030 @cindex temporary groups
29031 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
29032 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
29033 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
29036 @cindex solid groups
29037 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
29038 group buffer are solid groups.
29040 @item sparse articles
29041 @cindex sparse articles
29042 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
29043 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
29047 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
29048 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
29052 @cindex thread root
29053 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
29054 articles in the thread.
29058 An article that has responses.
29062 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
29066 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
29067 specified by RFC 1153.
29070 @cindex splitting, terminology
29071 @cindex mail sorting
29072 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
29073 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
29074 incorrectly called mail filtering.
29080 @node Customization
29081 @section Customization
29082 @cindex general customization
29084 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
29085 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
29086 for some quite common situations.
29089 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
29090 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
29091 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
29092 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
29096 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
29097 @subsection Slow/Expensive Connection
29099 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
29100 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
29101 Gnus has to get from the server.
29105 @item gnus-read-active-file
29106 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
29107 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
29108 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
29109 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
29110 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
29112 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
29113 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
29114 Usually this one must @emph{always} be @code{nil} (which is the
29115 default). If, for example, you wish to not use @acronym{NOV}
29116 (@pxref{Terminology}) with the @code{nntp} back end (@pxref{Crosspost
29117 Handling}), set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to a non-@code{nil} value
29118 instead of setting this. But you normally do not need to set
29119 @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} since Gnus by itself will detect whether the
29120 @acronym{NNTP} server supports @acronym{NOV}. Anyway, grabbing article
29121 headers from the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast if you tell
29122 Gnus not to use @acronym{NOV}.
29124 As the variables for the other back ends, there are
29125 @code{nndiary-nov-is-evil}, @code{nndir-nov-is-evil},
29126 @code{nnfolder-nov-is-evil}, @code{nnimap-nov-is-evil},
29127 @code{nnml-nov-is-evil}, and @code{nnspool-nov-is-evil}. Note that a
29128 non-@code{nil} value for @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} overrides all those
29133 @node Slow Terminal Connection
29134 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
29136 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
29137 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
29138 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
29142 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
29143 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
29144 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
29145 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
29146 horizontal and vertical recentering.
29148 @item gnus-visible-headers
29149 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
29150 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
29151 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
29152 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
29154 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
29156 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
29157 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
29158 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
29161 @item gnus-use-full-window
29162 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
29163 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
29164 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
29165 want to read them anyway.
29167 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
29168 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
29172 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
29173 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
29174 lines, which might save some time.
29178 @node Little Disk Space
29179 @subsection Little Disk Space
29182 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
29183 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
29187 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
29188 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
29189 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
29190 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
29193 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
29194 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
29195 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
29196 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
29199 @item gnus-save-killed-list
29200 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
29201 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
29202 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
29203 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
29209 @subsection Slow Machine
29210 @cindex slow machine
29212 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
29213 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
29215 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
29216 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
29218 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
29219 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
29220 summary buffer faster. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
29224 @node Troubleshooting
29225 @section Troubleshooting
29226 @cindex troubleshooting
29228 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
29236 Make sure your computer is switched on.
29239 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
29240 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
29244 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
29246 @samp{No Gnus v0.10} @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change this line!
29248 you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old @file{.el}
29249 files lying around. Delete these.
29252 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
29253 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
29256 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
29257 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
29258 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
29259 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
29260 something like that.
29263 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
29266 @cindex reporting bugs
29268 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
29270 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
29271 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
29272 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
29273 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
29275 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
29276 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
29277 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
29278 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
29281 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
29282 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
29283 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
29284 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
29285 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
29286 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
29288 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
29289 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
29290 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
29294 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
29295 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
29298 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
29299 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
29300 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
29301 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
29302 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
29303 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
29304 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
29305 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
29306 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
29307 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
29308 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
29309 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
29310 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
29311 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
29316 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
29317 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
29318 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
29319 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
29320 helps isolating the real problem areas).
29322 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
29323 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
29324 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
29325 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
29326 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
29327 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
29328 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
29329 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
29330 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
29331 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
29332 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
29333 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
29334 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
29337 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
29338 @cindex ding mailing list
29339 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
29340 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
29341 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
29342 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
29346 @node Gnus Reference Guide
29347 @section Gnus Reference Guide
29349 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
29350 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
29351 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
29352 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
29355 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
29356 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
29357 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
29358 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
29359 and general methods of operation.
29362 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
29363 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
29364 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
29365 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
29366 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
29367 * Group Info:: The group info format.
29368 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
29369 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
29370 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
29374 @node Gnus Utility Functions
29375 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
29376 @cindex Gnus utility functions
29377 @cindex utility functions
29379 @cindex internal variables
29381 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
29382 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
29383 Below is a list of the most common ones.
29387 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
29388 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
29389 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
29391 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
29392 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
29393 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
29395 @item gnus-group-real-name
29396 @findex gnus-group-real-name
29397 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
29400 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
29401 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
29402 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
29403 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
29405 @item gnus-get-info
29406 @findex gnus-get-info
29407 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
29409 @item gnus-group-unread
29410 @findex gnus-group-unread
29411 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
29415 @findex gnus-active
29416 The active entry for @var{group}.
29418 @item gnus-set-active
29419 @findex gnus-set-active
29420 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
29422 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29423 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29424 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
29427 @item gnus-continuum-version
29428 @findex gnus-continuum-version
29429 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
29430 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
29433 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
29434 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
29435 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
29437 @item gnus-news-group-p
29438 @findex gnus-news-group-p
29439 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
29441 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29442 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29443 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
29445 @item gnus-server-to-method
29446 @findex gnus-server-to-method
29447 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
29449 @item gnus-server-equal
29450 @findex gnus-server-equal
29451 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
29453 @item gnus-group-native-p
29454 @findex gnus-group-native-p
29455 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
29457 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
29458 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
29459 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
29461 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
29462 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
29463 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
29465 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
29466 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
29467 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
29468 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
29470 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
29471 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
29472 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
29474 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
29475 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
29476 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
29478 @item gnus-check-backend-function
29479 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
29480 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
29481 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
29484 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
29488 @item gnus-read-method
29489 @findex gnus-read-method
29490 Prompts the user for a select method.
29495 @node Back End Interface
29496 @subsection Back End Interface
29498 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
29499 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
29500 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
29501 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
29502 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
29503 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
29505 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
29506 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
29507 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
29508 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
29509 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
29510 been opened, the function should fail.
29512 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
29513 name. Take this example:
29517 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
29518 (nntp-port-number 4324))
29521 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
29522 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
29524 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
29525 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
29526 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
29528 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
29529 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
29530 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
29532 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
29533 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
29534 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
29535 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
29536 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
29537 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
29540 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
29541 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
29542 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
29543 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
29546 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
29547 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
29548 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
29549 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
29550 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
29551 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
29552 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
29553 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
29554 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
29555 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
29557 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
29558 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
29559 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
29560 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
29561 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
29562 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
29563 of numbers as long as possible.
29565 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
29566 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
29567 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
29569 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
29572 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
29575 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
29576 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
29577 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
29578 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
29579 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
29580 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
29584 @node Required Back End Functions
29585 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
29589 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
29591 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
29592 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
29593 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
29594 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
29596 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
29597 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
29598 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
29599 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
29601 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
29602 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
29603 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
29604 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
29605 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
29606 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
29607 number, do maximum fetches.
29609 Here's an example HEAD:
29612 221 1056 Article retrieved.
29613 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
29614 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
29615 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
29616 Subject: Re: Something very droll
29617 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
29618 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
29620 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
29621 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
29622 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
29626 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
29627 these in the data buffer.
29629 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
29633 head = error / valid-head
29634 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
29635 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
29636 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
29637 header = <text> eol
29641 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
29643 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
29644 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
29648 nov-buffer = *nov-line
29649 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
29650 field = <text except TAB>
29653 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
29657 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
29659 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
29660 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
29662 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
29663 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
29664 server. In fact, it should do so.
29666 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
29667 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
29670 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
29672 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
29673 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
29676 There should be no data returned.
29679 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
29681 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
29682 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
29683 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
29684 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
29686 There should be no data returned.
29689 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
29691 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
29692 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
29693 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
29694 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
29696 There should be no data returned.
29699 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
29701 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
29703 There should be no data returned.
29706 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
29708 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
29709 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
29710 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
29711 it would be nice if that were possible.
29713 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
29714 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
29715 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
29716 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
29717 into its article buffer.
29719 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
29720 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
29721 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
29722 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
29723 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
29724 on successful article retrieval.
29727 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST INFO)
29729 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
29730 making @var{group} the current group.
29732 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
29735 If @var{info}, it allows the backend to update the group info
29738 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
29741 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
29744 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
29745 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
29746 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
29747 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
29748 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
29749 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
29750 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
29751 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
29752 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
29756 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
29757 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
29758 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
29762 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29764 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
29765 a no-op on most back ends.
29767 There should be no data returned.
29770 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
29772 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
29775 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
29778 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
29779 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
29782 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
29783 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
29784 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
29785 and the highest as 0.
29788 active-file = *active-line
29789 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
29791 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
29794 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
29795 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
29796 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
29799 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
29801 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
29802 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
29803 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
29804 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
29805 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
29806 clear if the posting could not be completed.
29808 There should be no result data from this function.
29813 @node Optional Back End Functions
29814 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
29818 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
29820 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
29821 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
29822 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
29824 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
29825 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
29826 former is in the same format as the data from
29827 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
29828 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
29831 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
29835 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
29837 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
29838 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
29839 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
29840 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
29841 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
29842 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
29843 the network resources).
29845 There should be no result data from this function.
29848 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
29850 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
29851 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
29852 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
29853 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
29854 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
29855 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
29856 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
29857 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
29859 There should be no result data from this function.
29862 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
29864 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
29865 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
29866 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
29867 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
29868 propagate the mark information to the server.
29870 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
29873 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
29876 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
29877 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
29878 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
29879 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
29880 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
29881 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
29882 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
29883 possible, not limit itself to these.
29885 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
29886 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
29887 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
29888 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
29890 An example action list:
29893 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
29894 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
29895 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
29898 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
29899 mark on (currently not used for anything).
29901 There should be no result data from this function.
29903 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
29905 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
29906 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
29907 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
29908 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
29909 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
29911 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
29912 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
29913 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
29916 There should be no result data from this function.
29919 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
29921 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
29922 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
29923 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
29924 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
29925 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
29926 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
29927 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
29928 local if that's practical.
29930 There should be no result data from this function.
29933 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
29935 The result data from this function should be a description of
29939 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
29941 description = <text>
29944 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
29946 The result data from this function should be the description of all
29947 groups available on the server.
29950 description-buffer = *description-line
29954 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
29956 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
29957 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
29958 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
29959 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
29960 in the active buffer format.
29962 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
29963 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
29964 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
29965 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
29966 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
29967 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
29968 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
29971 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29973 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
29975 There should be no return data.
29978 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
29980 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
29981 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
29982 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
29983 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
29984 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
29987 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
29990 There should be no result data returned.
29993 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
29995 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
29996 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
29998 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
29999 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
30000 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
30001 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
30002 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
30003 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
30005 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
30006 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
30009 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
30010 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
30012 There should be no data returned.
30015 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
30017 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
30018 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
30019 this function in short order.
30021 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
30022 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
30024 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
30025 article for that group.
30027 There should be no data returned.
30030 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
30032 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
30033 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
30035 There should be no data returned.
30038 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
30040 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
30041 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
30042 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
30044 There should be no data returned.
30047 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
30049 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
30050 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
30052 There should be no data returned.
30057 @node Error Messaging
30058 @subsubsection Error Messaging
30060 @findex nnheader-report
30061 @findex nnheader-get-report
30062 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
30063 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
30064 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
30065 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
30066 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
30067 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
30070 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
30072 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
30075 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
30076 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
30077 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
30078 takes one argument---the server symbol.
30080 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
30081 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
30082 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
30085 @node Writing New Back Ends
30086 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
30088 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
30089 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
30090 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
30091 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
30092 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
30095 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
30096 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
30097 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
30099 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
30100 package called @code{nnoo}.
30102 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
30103 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
30109 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
30110 parameters. For instance:
30113 (nnoo-declare nndir
30117 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
30118 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
30121 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
30122 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
30123 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
30125 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
30126 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
30127 a function in those back ends.
30130 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
30131 "Where nndir will look for groups."
30132 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
30135 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
30136 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
30137 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
30139 @item nnoo-define-basics
30140 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
30144 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
30148 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
30149 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
30150 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
30152 @item nnoo-map-functions
30153 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
30154 functions from the parent back ends.
30157 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
30158 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
30159 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
30162 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
30163 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
30164 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
30165 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
30168 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
30169 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
30170 haven't already been defined.
30176 nnmh-request-newgroups)
30180 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
30181 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
30182 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
30187 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
30190 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
30191 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
30195 (require 'nnheader)
30199 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
30201 (nnoo-declare nndir
30204 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
30205 "Where nndir will look for groups."
30206 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
30208 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
30209 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
30212 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
30214 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
30215 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
30216 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
30218 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
30219 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
30221 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
30223 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
30225 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
30226 (setq nndir-directory
30227 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
30229 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
30230 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
30231 (push `(nndir-current-group
30232 ,(file-name-nondirectory
30233 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
30235 (push `(nndir-top-directory
30236 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
30238 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
30240 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
30241 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
30242 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
30243 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
30244 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
30248 nnmh-status-message
30250 nnmh-request-newgroups))
30256 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
30257 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
30259 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
30260 @findex gnus-declare-backend
30261 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
30262 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
30263 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
30265 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
30266 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
30271 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
30274 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
30276 The abilities can be:
30280 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
30282 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
30284 This back end supports both mail and news.
30286 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
30289 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
30290 articles and groups.
30292 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
30293 true for almost all back ends.
30294 @item prompt-address
30295 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
30296 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
30297 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
30301 @node Mail-like Back Ends
30302 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
30304 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
30305 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
30306 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
30307 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
30310 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
30311 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
30312 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
30315 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
30316 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
30319 This function takes four parameters.
30323 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
30326 @item exit-function
30327 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
30329 @item temp-directory
30330 Where the temporary files should be stored.
30333 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
30334 performed for one group only.
30337 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
30338 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
30339 find the article number assigned to this article.
30341 The function also uses the following variables:
30342 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
30343 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
30344 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
30345 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
30349 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
30350 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
30354 @node Score File Syntax
30355 @subsection Score File Syntax
30357 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
30358 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
30359 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
30361 Here's a typical score file:
30365 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
30372 BNF definition of a score file:
30375 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
30376 element = rule / atom
30377 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
30378 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
30379 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
30380 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
30382 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
30383 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
30384 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
30385 date-header = "date"
30386 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30387 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30388 score = "nil" / <integer>
30389 date = "nil" / <natural number>
30390 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
30391 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
30392 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
30393 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
30394 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30395 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30396 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
30397 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30398 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
30399 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
30400 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
30401 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
30402 exclude-files / read-only / touched
30403 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
30404 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
30405 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
30406 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
30407 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
30408 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
30409 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
30410 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
30411 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
30412 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
30413 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
30414 eval = "eval" space <form>
30415 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
30418 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
30421 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
30422 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
30423 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
30424 one looong line, then that's ok.
30426 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
30427 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
30431 @subsection Headers
30433 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
30434 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
30435 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
30436 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
30438 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
30439 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
30440 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
30441 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
30442 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
30443 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
30444 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
30446 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
30447 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
30448 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
30449 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
30450 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
30452 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
30453 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
30459 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
30460 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
30462 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
30463 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
30464 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
30465 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
30467 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
30471 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
30474 is transformed into
30477 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
30480 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
30481 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
30484 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
30487 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
30488 is slightly tricky:
30491 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
30497 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
30500 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
30506 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
30513 and is equal to the previous range.
30515 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
30516 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
30517 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
30521 range = simple-range / normal-range
30522 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
30523 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
30524 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
30525 number *[ " " contents ]
30528 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
30529 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
30530 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
30531 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
30532 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
30537 @subsection Group Info
30539 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
30540 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
30541 describes the group.
30543 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
30544 second is a more complex one:
30547 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
30549 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
30550 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
30552 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
30555 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
30556 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
30557 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
30558 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
30559 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
30560 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
30561 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
30562 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
30563 this section is about.
30565 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
30566 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
30567 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
30569 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
30572 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
30573 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
30574 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30575 group = quote <string> quote
30576 ralevel = rank / level
30577 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30578 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
30579 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30581 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
30582 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
30583 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
30584 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
30587 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
30588 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
30591 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
30592 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
30595 @item gnus-info-group
30596 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
30597 @findex gnus-info-group
30598 @findex gnus-info-set-group
30599 Get/set the group name.
30601 @item gnus-info-rank
30602 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
30603 @findex gnus-info-rank
30604 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
30605 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
30607 @item gnus-info-level
30608 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
30609 @findex gnus-info-level
30610 @findex gnus-info-set-level
30611 Get/set the group level.
30613 @item gnus-info-score
30614 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
30615 @findex gnus-info-score
30616 @findex gnus-info-set-score
30617 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
30619 @item gnus-info-read
30620 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
30621 @findex gnus-info-read
30622 @findex gnus-info-set-read
30623 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
30625 @item gnus-info-marks
30626 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
30627 @findex gnus-info-marks
30628 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
30629 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
30631 @item gnus-info-method
30632 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
30633 @findex gnus-info-method
30634 @findex gnus-info-set-method
30635 Get/set the group select method.
30637 @item gnus-info-params
30638 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
30639 @findex gnus-info-params
30640 @findex gnus-info-set-params
30641 Get/set the group parameters.
30644 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
30645 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
30647 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
30648 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
30649 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
30650 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
30653 @node Extended Interactive
30654 @subsection Extended Interactive
30655 @cindex interactive
30656 @findex gnus-interactive
30658 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
30659 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
30660 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
30663 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
30664 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
30669 The best thing to do would have been to implement
30670 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
30671 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
30672 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
30673 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
30674 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
30675 @code{interactive}.
30677 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
30682 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
30683 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
30687 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
30688 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
30689 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
30692 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
30696 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
30700 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
30706 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
30707 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
30711 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
30712 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
30713 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
30715 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
30716 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
30717 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
30718 Gnus, that's very useful.
30720 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
30721 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
30722 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
30723 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
30724 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
30725 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
30726 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
30727 following function:
30730 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
30734 (,function ,@@args))
30738 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
30739 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
30740 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
30743 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
30744 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
30745 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
30747 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
30748 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
30749 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
30752 @node Various File Formats
30753 @subsection Various File Formats
30756 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
30757 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
30761 @node Active File Format
30762 @subsubsection Active File Format
30764 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
30765 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
30768 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
30771 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
30772 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
30773 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
30774 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
30775 no.general 1000 900 y
30778 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
30781 active = *group-line
30782 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
30783 group = <non-white-space string>
30785 high-number = <non-negative integer>
30786 low-number = <positive integer>
30787 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
30790 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
30791 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
30794 @node Newsgroups File Format
30795 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
30797 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
30798 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
30799 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
30802 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
30803 Here's the definition:
30807 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
30808 group = <non-white-space string>
30810 description = <string>
30815 @node Emacs for Heathens
30816 @section Emacs for Heathens
30818 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
30819 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
30820 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
30821 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
30822 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
30823 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
30824 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
30828 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
30829 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
30834 @subsection Keystrokes
30838 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
30841 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
30844 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
30845 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
30846 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
30847 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
30848 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
30849 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
30851 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
30852 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
30853 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
30854 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
30855 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
30856 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
30857 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
30859 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
30860 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
30861 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
30862 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
30863 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
30864 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
30865 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
30867 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
30868 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
30869 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
30870 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
30871 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
30877 @subsection Emacs Lisp
30879 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
30880 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
30881 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
30882 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
30884 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
30885 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
30886 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
30887 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
30888 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
30889 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
30890 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
30891 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
30892 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
30893 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
30895 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
30896 write the following:
30899 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
30902 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
30903 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
30904 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
30905 change how Gnus works.
30907 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
30908 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
30909 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
30910 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
30911 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
30913 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
30914 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
30915 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
30919 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
30923 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
30926 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
30927 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
30930 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
30933 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
30934 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
30937 @include gnus-faq.texi
30939 @node GNU Free Documentation License
30940 @chapter GNU Free Documentation License
30941 @include doclicense.texi
30959 @c Local Variables:
30961 @c coding: iso-8859-1